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) *

(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