Ólafur Arnalds
The Icelandic composer recreates at the Arriaga the evocative neoclassicism of his latest album ‘Some kind of peace’
The Icelandic composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Ólafur Arnalds has become an acclaimed artist with global projection, proposing an evocative synthesis of contemporary classicism, ambient electronica and instrumental post-pop that he has exhibited, both in select audiences around the world, as well as on soundtracks. from films and television series such as the award-winning ‘Broadchurch’ (15) to the recent ‘Defending Jacob’ (20) and ‘Moonhaaven’ (22). Capable of arranging for metal bands in their early days, of reinterpreting Chopin or billing strict techno, his chemistry between the classical and the modern has materialized in records with a highly evocative power that provide repaired metaphysical calm in uncertain times. A transcendent and evasive aura to which he appeals in his fifth and latest album ‘Some kind of peace’ (Mercury KX 20), which he recreates this Monday at the Teatro Arriaga (7:30 p.m. from 40 to 60 euros) combining his piano sound with algorithmic harmonies, the neo-chamber arrangements of a mixed string quartet and the drive of a drummer. On the eve of starting the seven-date Spanish-Portuguese tour that brings him to Bilbao, Ólafur reveals some keys to his musical approach from his studio in Mosfellsbær, the coastal town near Reykjavik where he was born 36 years ago
– You perform accompanied by a string quartet and a drummer, a hybrid ensemble that suggests a connection between classicism and pop. Is that how you approach your concerts?
– There has always been a pop impulse in what I do but I don’t think in those terms when choosing the musicians that accompany me. We try to bring new dynamics and interpretations to the original recordings, leaving room for improvisations and even contributions from the recorded public that create different atmospheres. Some changes are very subtle and others provide a different flow like when the drums come in.
– Do you consider yourself more of an artist than a musician or composer? What do you understand as an artist?
– Yes, because what I do is not just compose in the classical sense works that will be played later by others. I am also a performer, producer and I control the art of records, videos or shows. For my artist, he is someone who expresses in his works questions or feelings that he cannot explain with words. It has nothing to do with a discipline but with exploring the world of internal feelings.
– What kind of peace does the title of your new album appeal to?
– The peace that I am referring to is a bit abstract, it is external but also intimate because any type of peace begins inside oneself, in feeling comfortable with your own person and the world that surrounds you. Interestingly I found that kind of peace during the complicated pandemic circumstances that I had to face to produce the album and create all the art and videos. The desire to bring peace to people through music in these times was a stimulus, a way to find it for myself.
– Lives and works between his native Iceland and Indonesia, two very distant and different worlds. Are you looking for remoteness or isolation to compose?
– I think so. I need stillness and tranquility to compose, both when I’m at home in Iceland and in Indonesia. The views of the surroundings a little away from the capital, from the coastal port where I live, are very attractive to me. I find it easier to find inspiration in powerful natural spaces. On the album I actually tried to channel the energies of both environments.
– One of the most evocative pieces on the album ‘We contain multitudes’ is based on a poem by Walt Whitman. Do you usually look for inspiration in other artistic disciplines?
– Yes, very often. In that specific topic they reflect on the idea of personal identity in Iceland or Indonesia and a friend showed me that poem by Whitman about that concept. I loved the poem from which it takes its title. It’s funny how you can find artists inspired by similar ideas in very diverse cultures.
– Compared to that more human side, how relevant is technology in your compositions?
– Well, all part of a collaboration between the human side and the technological side. I compose in front of a computer and sound programs, but with pianos, keyboards and synthesizers at my fingertips. I have always analyzed how the technological tools I use to make music and how new sound sources inspire the music I make. That reflection is part of the creative process. But I’m not worried about the issue of artificial intelligence, since it’s never going to replace or take jobs away from musicians. There is a lot of music that only arises from the awareness of who we are and our place in the world. That more subtle plane is the most interesting to explore and from which the best music emerges. A computer can’t do that, it’s just an effective and accessible tool.
– Do you play the piano supported by your famous Stratus software on this tour? Could you explain how it works?
– Yes. In simple terms, I would say it’s an algorithmic texture generator, it’s like playing three pianos at the same time. What I play on my grand piano. It provides information to the program that adds atmospheres and textures. It does not compose music by itself, it only incorporates a complementary response that enriches my interpretation with the algorithmic contributions of two other virtual pianos. It’s like talking to interacting with a robot that goes free.
Kiasmos, an experimental side project
– You also have a parallel project, Kiasmos, focused on a stricter, more experimental and minimalist techno. What motivation do you find in the most rhythmic electronic music?
– I am especially fascinated by the possibilities that working with many sound sources gives you and extracting music that, as a composer. It is also inside of me. It has to do with learning to see techno as more than just repetitive beats and appreciating what all of its textures and intricate details sound like. I started Kiasmos more than a decade ago to explore that side that has later also benefited my work as an olafur.
– A good part of that work is in collaboration with other musicians and producers. Who would you like to share a studio or stage with?
– The best collaborations are usually the spontaneous ones, so I prefer not to give names because, when they have asked me for one or I have proposed it, things have not worked out as expected. It is better not to plan them because the best alliances arise from intimate relationships. It’s better to make friends first.
– Since your last album you have composed music for TV series like ‘Defending Jacob’, ‘Surface’ or ‘Moonhaaven’. Do you dissociate his compositions from those he makes for soundtracks?
I don’t really know how to answer that question. The main difference is that the creation has to fit into the character or story guidelines. It’s all my music, I don’t see it as another project but it’s like a closer sample of my creativity. But I also find it fascinating to have to express in a specific and determined direction. In finding the greatest expressiveness in that limited space.
– How would you say your music has evolved since your first tour with your countrymen Sigur Ros?
– Those concerts were very good. They brought me closer to a large audience and helped me concretize my music in a less ambient or pop context. Looking back, I think what he was doing was less sophisticated and more dramatic. If he wanted to convey greatness, he would sound big, whereas now he would do it by sounding slow or delicate. However, I still have limitations and misgivings that you have to overcome that you didn’t have with all the crazy ideas from the beginning. Music is a process in which something is always won and something is lost.