Jónas Sen has written music criticism and cultural commentary in Icelandic media for more than three decades.

Since December 2023, his music criticism has appeared on Vísir, where his current reviews are collected under the heading Gagnrýni Jónasar Sen. Earlier reviews and articles appeared in newspapers and other Icelandic media, including Fréttablaðið and Morgunblaðið.

This page provides links to current and older criticism, together with selected articles and reviews.

Current reviews:
Gagnrýni Jónasar Sen on Vísir

Older newspaper material may be found through timarit.is.

Selected criticism

Recent criticism on Vísir

Carmina Burana sem maður vill helst gleyma – hvað fór úrskeiðis í Hörpu?
Vísir, 2025
A sharply satirical and technically critical review of Carmina Burana in Harpa, moving from observations on Icelandic choir culture to detailed criticism of choral attack, conducting, staging and solo performance. One of the most controversial examples of Jónas Sen’s recent Vísir criticism, and one of the clearest statements of his unwillingness to confuse enthusiasm with artistic quality.
Read on Vísir →

Allir komust lifandi út – nema Beethoven
Vísir, 2026
A sharply argued review of Víkingur Heiðar Ólafsson’s Bach, Beethoven and Schubert recital in Harpa, where Bach emerges victorious while Beethoven suffers from excess, speed and emotional overstatement. A strong example of Jónas Sen’s recent classical criticism: musically detailed, personally voiced and unafraid to challenge a celebrated performer.
Read on Vísir →

Helvíti á jörðu: Emmsjé Gauti minnti á líkamsræktarþjálfara í maníu
Vísir, 2025
A fierce and satirical review of Emmsjé Gauti’s Christmas concert Jülevenner, where commercial spectacle, alcohol branding, pop culture excess and the loss of Christmas solemnity are pushed through Jónas Sen’s most caustic critical register. One of the clearest examples of his recent Vísir criticism as cultural attack, comic performance and moral irritation.
Read on Vísir →

Bryan Adams breytti Eldborg í grátkór íslenskra karla
Vísir, 2025
A warm, comic and unexpectedly moving review of Bryan Adams in Harpa, where arena rock becomes a collective emotional release for Icelandic men. A vivid example of Jónas Sen’s positive criticism: culturally observant, theatrical, humorous and unafraid of sentiment when the music earns it.
Read on Vísir →

Earlier newspaper criticism

Var það sjálfur Óðinn sem kveikti í Fagradalsfjalli?
Fréttablaðið, 2021
A five-star review of a Wagner and Verdi recital by baritone Ólafur Kjartan Sigurðarson and pianist Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason. The review moves from Scriabin, Pasternak and Wagner’s personality to Norse mythology, volcanic eruption and overwhelming vocal power — a vivid example of Jónas Sen’s ability to turn a concert review into a dramatic cultural narrative.
View in the Icelandic newspaper archive →

Dansandi sinfóníuhljómsveit
Fréttablaðið, 2021
A highly enthusiastic review of Aion by Anna Þorvaldsdóttir and Erna Ómarsdóttir, performed by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Iceland Dance Company. The piece becomes, in the review, a journey from bureaucratic stiffness to ritual abandon — with Philip K. Dick, headbanging musicians and a full moon outside Harpa all entering the frame.
View in the Icelandic newspaper archive →

Sexið selur… líka í óperunum
Fréttablaðið, 2021
A five-star review of an opera gala at Hafnarborg, moving from Mozartian erotic intrigue and Verdi scandal to dazzling singing, theatrical wit and dangerous decibel levels. A lighter but still sharply observed example of Jónas Sen’s criticism, where musical judgement, humour and cultural association meet.
View in the Icelandic newspaper archive →

Fegurðin víðsfjarri í Fidelio
Fréttablaðið, 2021
A critical review of a reduced staging of Beethoven’s Fidelio in Harpa, where strong singing could not compensate for thin instrumental forces, awkward staging and a comic final gesture that failed to justify the production’s limitations. A good example of Jónas Sen’s operatic criticism: attentive to musical craft, but unwilling to accept good intentions as a substitute for artistic necessity.
View in the Icelandic newspaper archive →

Tröllið sem stal jólunum
Fréttablaðið, 2021
A severe but musically grounded review of Christmas concerts by the Choir of Hallgrímskirkja: technically well sung, but weighed down by solemn programming, funeral-like atmosphere and a striking absence of Christmas joy. A memorable example of Jónas Sen’s ability to praise craft while dismantling the overall concept.
View in the Icelandic newspaper archive →

Óreiðukenndir tónleikar
Morgunblaðið, 2006
A sharply critical review from Myrkir músíkdagar, moving from bodily sonic imagery and theatrical absurdity to a broader critique of poor programming and concert organisation. A good example of Jónas Sen’s earlier newspaper criticism: direct, image-driven and musically alert.
View in the Icelandic newspaper archive →