Ólafur Arnalds

The Icelandic multi-instrumentalist and producer Ólafur Arnalds brings his signature mix of piano, strings and subtle electronics to Brussels. On 12 October 2026 he will play at the Cirque Royal, delivering a set that translates his studio research to the stage without losing intimacy.

Born in 1986 in Mosfellsbær, Arnalds began in hardcore and metal bands and later developed his own language centered on repetitive piano motifs, string arrangements and ambient-like textures. From Eulogy for Evolution (2007) and …And They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness (2010) he has been building this idiom, which also colours his work for screen — from the series Broadchurch to various film scores. Collaborations run as a common thread: the duo Kiasmos with Janus Rasmussen favors minimal, melodic electronics, while The Chopin Project (2015) with Alice Sara Ott opens another side of his piano world. Albums such as For Now I Am Winter (2013), re:member (2018) and Some Kind of Peace (2020) demonstrate the ongoing cross-pollination between neoclassical, ambient, intimate pop and electronic experimentation. Live he weaves these elements into compact compositions where space and detail are central.