Daníel Bjarnason (born 26 February 1979) is an Icelandic composer and conductor. He has garnered widespread acclaim for his debut album, ''Processions'' (2010), with
TimeOut NY writing he "create(s) a sound that comes eerily close to defining classical music's undefinable brave new world".
Life and career
Born on 26 February 1979, Daníel studied composition, piano and conducting in Reykjavik, before going on to further study orchestral conducting at the
Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
The Hochschule für Musik Freiburg ("University of Music Freiburg or Freiburg Conservatory of Music") is a public music academy subsidized by the State of Baden-Württemberg for academic research and artistic and pedagogical training in music.
...
. He has had a number of works commissioned and debuted by
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. The orchestra holds a regular concert season from October until June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from ...
.
Daníel is currently
composer-in-residence at the
Muziekgebouw Frits Philips, Eindhoven, Netherlands and was artist-in-residence with
Iceland Symphony Orchestra
Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands (Iceland Symphony Orchestra) (ISO) is an Icelandic orchestra based in Reykjavík. Its primary concert venue is the Harpa (concert hall), Harpa Concert Hall. The Iceland Symphony is an autonomous public institution u ...
from 2015 to 2018. He has also collaborated with artists from many different genres, including
Ben Frost,
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band that formed in 1994 in Reykjavík. It comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Jónsi, Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal soun ...
and
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...
.
Various conductors have also performed Daníel's work, including
Gustavo Dudamel, John Adams, André de Ridder, James Conlon, Louis Langrée and Ilan Volkov.
Daníel's recent work has included collaborations with the Los Angeles Philharmonic,
Rambert Dance Company
Rambert (known as Rambert Dance Company before 2014) is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it exerted a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingd ...
,
Britten Sinfonia,
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra,
So Percussion and the
Calder Quartet. In August 2017, he acted as a co-curator, composer and conductor at the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Reykjavik Festival.
Awards
Daníel has won numerous awards at the Icelandic Music Awards, including Song of the Year (2015) for "Ek ken di nag" and Composer of the Year, 2013 for his works ''The Isle Is Full of Noises'' and ''Over Light Earth''. ''Over Light Earth'' (2013) won the Icelandic Music Award for the best classical CD of the year in 2013.
Also in 2013, he and Ben Frost won the
Edda Award
The Edda Award is an accolade bestowed annually by the Icelandic Film and Television Academy, and is the most prominent film and television award in Iceland, awarded annually in February. The ''Edda'' has awarded for outstanding work in various cat ...
for best soundtrack for their score to film ''
The Deep'', directed by
Baltasar Kormákur. In 2010, Daníel nominated for the prestigious Nordic Council's Music Prize, and won the Kraumur Music Award.
Daníel has also been awarded a grant from the Kristján Eldjárn Memorial Fund.
Discography
Albums
* ''Processions'' (2010) –
Bedroom Community
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
* ''Sólaris'' (with
Ben Frost) (2011) – Bedroom Community
* ''Over Light Earth'' (2013) – Bedroom Community
* ''Djúpið'' (2017) – Bedroom Community
Works
Solo and small chamber works
* ''5 Chinese Poems'' (2001)
* ''4 Seasons of Yosa Buson'' (2003)
* ''Skelja'' (2006)
* ''Fanfare for Harpa'' (2011)
* ''Four Anachronisms'' (2012)
* ''Qui Tollis'' (2013)
* ''Ek Ken Die Nag'' (2014)
* ''Stillshot'' (2015)
Ensemble and chamber orchestra
* ''All Sounds to Silence Come'' (2007)
* ''Over Light Earth'' (2012)
Orchestra
* ''Emergence'' (2011)
* ''Blow Bright'' (2013)
* ''Collider'' (2015)
* ''
From Space I Saw Earth'' ''for three conductors'' (2019)
Solo with ensemble/orchestra
* ''Solitudes'' (2003)
* ''Sleep Variations'' (2005)
* ''Processions'' (2009)
* ''Bow to String'' (2010)
* ''Sólaris'' (2011)
* ''The Bells'' (2021)
Chorus
* ''Enn Fagnar Heimur'' (2011)
* ''Ek Ken Die Nag'' (2014)
Chorus and orchestra
* ''The Isle Is Full of Noises'' (2012)
Solo voice with ensemble
* ''Larkin Songs'' (2010)
Operas
* ''Brothers'' (2017)
Film scores
* ''Reykjavik Guesthouse'' (2003)
* ''Come To Harm'' (2011)
* ''The Deep'' (2012)
* ''Under The Tree'' (2017)
Music for dance
* ''Smáljón í Sjónmáli'' (2011)
* ''Frames'' – Alexander Whitley/Rambert (2015)
Collaborations
*
Efterklang (Arranging for and performing in live project "Efterklang, Daníel Bjarnason and their Messing Orchestra")
*
Ben Frost (''Sólaris'', ''The Deep'')
* (Arranging for and appearing on albums ''The Den'' and ''A Thin Line'')
*
Ólöf Arnalds (Arrangements on albums ''Við og við'' and ''Innundir Skinni'')
*
Hjaltalín (Arranging for and performing in live project "Alpanon" with Iceland Symphony Orchestra)
*
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band that formed in 1994 in Reykjavík. It comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Jónsi, Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal soun ...
(Arrangements on albums ''Valtari'' and ''Kveikur'')
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bjarnason, Daniel
Daniel Bjarnason
Living people
1979 births
Male classical composers
Daniel Bjarnason
Male conductors (music)
21st-century conductors (music)
21st-century male musicians
Daniel Bjarnason
Hochschule für Musik Freiburg alumni