The first album recorded by the ISO was Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, conducted by Václav Smetácek and narrated by Helga Valtýsdóttir, in 1956. The impression, however, was mysteriously lost and the recording has since remained unheard. Seven years passed until ISO recorded its second album which included "Minni Íslands" ("Theme of Iceland") by Jón Leifs and Symphony no. 16, "Icelandic", by Henry Cowell. The orchestra had premiered Cowell's symphony on 21 March 1963 and recorded it later the same year. The composition was dedicated to the memory of explorer Vilhjálmur Stefánsson with whom Cowell had maintained friendship since 1941, and since his Symphony no. 16 includes motifs from Icelandic folk melodies he considered the ISO an ideal performer for the piece. Jón Leifs is the single composer whose works have been recorded most often by the ISO, spanning twelve albums in all. The first major work was The Saga Symphony, recorded in 1975 and conducted by Jussi Jalas. Jalas had conducted the orchestra several times in concert and served as its first-ever guest conductor on 27 June 1950. The Saga Symphony was recorded again in 1996 and conducted by Osmo Vänska. Between 1996 and 2002 the orchestra recorded many of Leifs’ most important works, including Geysir, Hekla, Hafís and Baldr. En Shao conducted Hekla and Dettifoss, both rare performances were recorded. The ISO's visibility in the international music industry escalated in the 1990s under Petri Sakari's command. Sakari conducted the orchestra in various recordings for Chandos Records in 1992–1996, as well as conducting the complete symphonies by Jean Sibelius for Naxos Records in 1996-2000 (published as a box set in 2001). Collaboration with Chandos Records continued during Rumon Gamba's period as principal conductor, resulting in a two-volume recording of the orchestral works of Malcolm Williamson (published in 2006–2007) and a six-volume recording of the orchestral works of Vincent d’Indy (published in 2008–2015). The first volume of the d’Indy-series was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Orchestral Recording in 2009 and the second volume was chosen as Gramophone's Editor Choice. The Iceland Symphony has a comprehensive profile on Spotify where most of its recordings can be found. Harpa Concert Hall For decades, the prospect of building a specialized venue for major classical concerts was discussed publicly in Iceland. No real concert halls existed in Iceland during the 20th century and classical concerts typically took place in churches, theatres and