Ólafur Arnalds

Born in 1986 in Mosfellsbær, near Reykjavik, Ólafur Arnalds first made music in hardcore and metal bands before turning to a writing style centered on piano, strings and electronics. Beginning with the album "Eulogy for Evolution" (2007) and followed by "…And They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness" (2010), he forged a language that blends repetitive piano motifs, string quartet arrangements, and subtle electronic textures, often bordering on ambient. His work for the screen—most notably the score for the series "Broadchurch" (from 2013) and several film soundtracks—extends this aesthetic, orienting it toward film and television music. As a pianist and composer, Arnalds has also pursued numerous collaborations, including the duo Kiasmos with Janus Rasmussen, focused on minimal, melodic electronics, and "The Chopin Project" (2015) with pianist Alice Sara Ott. Albums such as "For Now I Am Winter" (2013), "re:member" (2018), and "Some Kind of Peace" (2020) illustrate his evolution toward a continual crossing of neoclassical writing, ambient, intimate pop, and electronic experimentation.