Ólafur Arnalds at Esplanade Recital Studio

Ólafur Arnalds has steadily built a reputation as one of the world’s most bright and able young composers. Purveying a neo-classical style with an array of influences which range from electronica to minimalism, he is an artist who draws from a variety of sources whilst maintaining his own unique sound.
Since the release of his 2007 debut Eulogy for Evolution, the 26-year-old Icelander from Mosfellsbær, a small-town suburb of Reykjavik in Iceland, has put his name to a variety of projects. Their accompanying small-scale live shows have taken him across Europe, North America and to China, and are where the intimacy of Arnalds’ performance and personality shine through. From this, he went on to open for Sigur Rós, and had his music featured in movies such as The Hunger Games, Looper and Gimme Shelter.
In 2013, he released his third full-length studio album For Now I Am Winter; which is a categorical side-step away from the sound he is best known for. Much more immediate and bold in execution, the complex compositions on the album, featuring orchestral arrangements by American composer Nico Muhly, are decidedly more poppy than before. The dynamic has shifted, marking a milestone in Arnalds’ ongoing evolution as a composer and, for the first time, as a songwriter.