Daníel Bjarnason


Daníel Bjarnason is an Icelandic composer and conductor. He has garnered widespread acclaim for his debut album, Processions, with TimeOut NY writing he "create 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. He has had a number of works commissioned and debuted by Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Daníel is currently composer-in-residence at the Muziekgebouw Frits Philips, Eindhoven, Netherlands and was artist-in-residence with Iceland Symphony Orchestra from 2015 to 2018. He has also collaborated with artists from many different genres, including Ben Frost, Sigur Rós and Brian Eno.
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, 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 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 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 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 – Bedroom Community
  • Sólaris – Bedroom Community
  • Over Light Earth – Bedroom Community
  • Djúpið – Bedroom Community

    Works

Solo and small chamber works

  • 5 Chinese Poems
  • 4 Seasons of Yosa Buson
  • Skelja
  • Fanfare for Harpa
  • Four Anachronisms
  • Qui Tollis
  • Ek Ken Die Nag
  • ''Stillshot''

    Ensemble and chamber orchestra

  • All Sounds to Silence Come
  • ''Over Light Earth''

    Orchestra

  • Emergence
  • Blow Bright
  • Collider
  • From Space I Saw Earth ''for three conductors''

    Solo with ensemble/orchestra

  • Solitudes
  • Sleep Variations
  • Processions
  • Bow to String
  • Sólaris
  • ''The Bells''

    Chorus

  • Enn fagnar heimur
  • ''Ek Ken Die Nag''

    Chorus and orchestra

  • ''The Isle Is Full of Noises''

    Solo voice with ensemble

  • ''Larkin Songs''

    Operas

  • ''Brothers''

    Film scores

  • Reykjavik Guesthouse
  • Come To Harm
  • The Deep
  • Under the Tree
  • ''The Last Whale Singer''

    Music for dance

  • Smáljón í sjónmáli
  • Frames – Alexander Whitley/Rambert

    Collaborations

  • Efterklang
  • Ben Frost
  • Ólöf Arnalds
  • Hjaltalín
  • Sigur Rós