Music Review | Works of Ólafur Arnalds

Profile

Ólafur Arnalds is one of representative musicians in today’s Post-classical music scene, is from Mosfellsbær, Iceland and now lives in Reykjavík.

Solo Albums

Eulogy for Evolution (Erased Tape, 2007)

“Eulogy for Evolution” is an early work of Ólafur Arnalds. The songs are Classical also modern and minimal (But it isn’t Minimal Music) that make use of space and intervals among instruments, and effects of ensemble. On his compositions, there’s no clear theme and minute melody.

“Boundaries” is a slow, beautiful but splendid piano quartet song.

“The Engine” is a good song features passionate strings.

“Kistch” is a simple but grandiose and passionate song. The plays of strings are impressive and vivid.

“3055” is a melancholic and elegant song with splendid violin melodies, a piano accompaniment and reflection noises. Then the drum follows and become a dynamic instrumental Pop song.

“Vemeer” begins a silent piano passages but it expands Heavy Metal song with very distorted guitar, then suddenly the guitar is cut out ends with strings calmly.

…And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness (Erased Tapes, 2010)

“…And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness” is a Post-classical album. It contains songs of various arrangement styles. The concept of this album is a crossover between Classical and Pop or Rock. He made the album for the wide range of listeners.

“Tunglið” is a passionate piano and strings song, a drum kit follows.

“Loftið verður skyndilega kalt” is an impressive sophisticated Minimal Music piano quintet composition with few notes.

“Kjurrt” is also a Minimal Music piano quintet composition with fewer notes.

“Gleypa okkur” is an orthodox piano quintet composition with drums and an electric base. The next song “Hægt, kemur ljósið” is more passionate one includes a keen tone synthesizer pad solo.

“Undan hulu” is a simple composition with piano arpeggios with cello melodies.

“þau Hafa Sloppið Undan þunga Myrkursins” is a melancholic also refleshing piano quartet composition, drums follows in the later part.

“Hratt” is a mysterious and wonderful, Folk taste ensemble song with a electric piano and drums.

A very nice and typical Post-classical album.

For Now I Am Winter (Mercury, 2013)

“Sudden Throw” is an apathetic song of pad and Pino backing. In later part strings, bass guitar follows and become very dynamic and suddenly ends.

“Brim” is Electronic with drum sample loops, piano arpeggios, sequences and strings ensemble melodies.

“For Now I Am Winter” is a sorrowful Post-classical and Electronica style vocal song with strings, piano electronic drum loop accompaniments.

“A Stutter” is a non-rhythem apathetic vocal song with strings, piano and pads.

“Words of Amber” is a track like Ambient which is consist of piano arpeggios, slight, vague pads and electronic pulses.

“Reclaim” is a significant and grandiose vocal song with a bold and avid string orchestra. Later part drum sample loops follows.

“Only the Winds” is a sentimental also hopeful but brave song with piano, string ensemble and drums.

“Old Skin” is an English Folk mood vocal Pop song beings with a vocal and piano, later part, electronic drums and strings synthesizers follow.

“This Place Was a Shelter” is sad and significant Electronica with impressive sold string ensemble, synth sequences, pads and electronic drums.

“Carry Me Anew” is a silent pad solo like Ambient.

A good Post-classical and Electronica album combines vocals, electronic and acoustic instruments, and contains various style and formations of songs.

Island Songs (Mercury KX, 2016)

“Island Songs” is the Post-classical album by Ólafur Arnalds. It’s consist of seven songs, and in each song, it collaborates with a musician and/or an ensemble.

“Árbakkinn” is sentimental and apathetic song, which begins with a narration or a poetry reading and piano, then string ensemble follows.

“1995” is a minimal also serious composition with repetitions of a motif by organ, and string ensemble accompaniment.

“Raddir” is a song like Choral of sacred chorus with organ, electric bass and some string instruments.

“Öldurót” is a grandiose composition with an impressive strings arrangement, is consist of string orchestra, oboe and electric bass with electric piano backing.

“Dalur” is a melancholic song features piano arpeggios, with some strings and percussions accompaniment and tape noises.

“Particles” is a female vocal Ballad song with piano chord backings and strings chords.

“Doria” is a wonderful minimal Classical composition. It begins with fine piano arpeggios. Strings and another piano melodies and chords follow.

“Study for Player Piano (II)” is a miserable and melancholic mood minimal piano piece.

A good acoustic Post-classical album of various styles and the melancholic and apathetic mood.

re:member (Mercurey KX, 2018)

“re:member” is a Post-classical or Electronica album by Ólafur Arnalds.

The title track “re:member” is a refreshing piano and strings song, but the later part an organic electronic drum kit, and electric base and voice synthesizer pad take part in.

“samen” is an arpeggio based very good minimal piano piece. My favourite song.

“brot” is a sacred song like a choral consist of beutiful strings and synthesizer pads.

“they sink” is a silent Electronica track with piano collages and strings.

“ypsilon” is a piano arpeggio and backing based calm Electronica song with cute percussions.

“partial” is a beautiful song is consist of strings, synthesizer pad and impressive synthesizer sequence arpeggios. The synthesizer sequence must be made by Arnalds’ own making plugin “STRATUS”.

“momentary” is a very tiny but precious short piano solo piece.

“undir” is a sentimental and refreshing and bright minimal song features a fragmental piano and swinging electronic drums.

“ekki hugsa” is a wonderful, refreshing and bright minimal song features arpeggios of strings. Then the later part, it expands dynamic with synthesizer pads and arpeggios and an electronic base.

“nyepi” is a simple apathetic piano piece is composed by few tones.

He did experiments in each track, and this album is full volume album in the length and the contents, you can enjoy various styles and tastes his production. And this album is one of the fruits of Arnalds’ career.

Some Kind of Peace (2020, Mercury KX)

A Post-classical and Electronica album features some guest musicians.

“Loom” is a short electronic track features Bonobo.

“Woven Song” is Classical also experimental song, is consist of a motif by violin, strings chords accompaniment, later part strings become dynamic and piano fragmental accompaniment follows.

“Still / Sound” is a silent Electronica song with electric piano, chorus sample and electronic noises. Later part small string ensemble replaces them.

“Back to The Sky” is melancholic vocal song features an Icelandic singer JFDR (Jófríður Ákadóttir). The song associates songs of Bjork. It’s consist of synthesizer pad, strings electric piano and electronic percussions.

“Zero” is a Post-classical tracks like Ambient. It begins with few tones piano and strings chords. In the middle part, strings sound become bold by filter and/or delay effects.

“New Grass” is a sorrowful also grandiose traditional composition. It consist of piano arpeggio and string orchestra.

“The Bottom Line” is a serious Pop style vocal song features a German singer-songwriter Josin. The songs is her vocal with piano arpeggios, and string orchestra. Later part electric bass and electric percussions follow.

“We Contain Multitudes” is a solitary and apathetic piano piece.

“Undone” is melancholic and apathetic song with fragmental piano and glockenspiel and string orchestra passages.

Resources and Links

Ólafur Arnalds (official site)

MERCURY KX – Ólafur Arnalds

Erased Tapes – Ólafur Arnalds

Spitfire Audio – Ólafur Arnalds

Bandcamp

Wikipedia (EN)

Discogs

AllMuisc

Facebook Page

X (former Twitter)

Instagram

List of All Music Reviews
Post-classical, New Age, Ambient, Minimal Music, Electronica
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Jean-Michel Serres Apfel Café Apfelsaft Cinéma Music QR Codes Spotify YouTube Apple Music Center English.

Piano Diary 4: Autumn Confession – Jean-Michel Serres Apfel Café Music ACM044

Das neue Klavier-Soloalbum “Piano Diary 4: Autumn Confession”, dessen Thema das sentimentale, aber auch helle Herbstgefühl ist, wird durch ein Klavier ausgedrückt. Genießen Sie es…

The new piano solo album “Piano Diary 4: Autumn Confession”, the theme of which is the sentimental also bright autumn sensation is expressed by a piano. Enjoy…

« Automne de chaque personne »

Alentours chez moi, nouveau café ouvrait.

Dans le café, j’ai connais la patronne et plusieurs femmes et hommes. Certains personnes (sans moi) qui allaient au café, commençaient un club de lecture. Ils ses rassemblaient et partaient livres de « The Midnight Library » de Matt Haig. Une fois par semaine, un membre faisait un polycopié tour à tour, et ils faisaient une lecture de ce livre.

Une madame s’asseyent du fauteuil à la table ronde de côte de grande fenêtre, sur la table il y a des un papier, deux brochures, un cahier, un bloc Rhodia et ce livre. Il semble que elle est content. Et elle écrivait une lettre à son fille par un stylo avec une encre bleue.

Un monsieur chauve avec les lunettes, mettait un cahier, un iPhone et livre de « The Midnight Library » sur le grand table carré. Il écrivait poèmes en bavardant avec sa épouse et sa fille. Ils mettraient chaque iPhone sur la table, mais ils ne tenaient pas, ne regardaient pas, ils jouissaient une conversation. Après la soirée, le monsieur mettait le cahier dans une étagère précieusement avec bonheur.

Un jeune homme lisait « The Midnight Library » dans son chambre était clôturé quelque étrangères à livre et beaucoup de livres de l’histoire et du roman. Son MacBook Pro sur son bureau, projetait l’écran de Slack. Il faisait une tchatche avec ses amis sur « The Midnight Library ».

Une jeune fille écrivait le polycopié du livre par son iMac vert dans sa petite chambre avec ses murs étaient blue ciel. Elle finissait en gros, et envoyait le fichier à une membre et une amie par e-mail pour demander conseils.

L’autumn de chaque personne commençait et marchait.

+ + + + + + + + + + + +

Enjoy the silence…

from Apfel Café Music, ACM044

released October 20, 2023

Jean-Michel Serres (composition, piano, mixing, mastering, cover art, direction, publicity, poésie)

© 2023 Apfel Café Music
℗ 2023 Apfel Café Music

Reseña Musical | Obras de William Haviland

Perfil

William Haviland es un pianista y compositor británico. Su característica es brillante y suave, Clásico y ortodoxo también composición moderna, y claro y brillante tono de piano jugar.

Recolección: A Piano Lullaby ((Autoeditado), 2010)

“Recollection” es el lanzamiento más antiguo de William Haviland, que puedo encontrar.

“Awakening” es una canción brillante y refrescante basada en arpegios.

“Afterglow” es un clásico también Jazz sabor, suave y brillante balada canción.

“Night Storm” es una patética y dinámica pieza de piano.

“Interlude” es una pieza de piano sencilla o minimalista, neutra y refrescante.

“Destiny” es una canción de piano melancólica y apasionada que se desarrolla brillante y alegre.

“Adieu” es adecuado para el final, una canción balada alegre y dulce con armonías de Jazz.

Un álbum de piano solo Post-clásico o Clásico Moderno muy bueno y común hoy en día.

Nocturne ((Autoeditado), 2011)

“Nocturne” es un álbum de piano solo Post-clásico con sabor a Jazz de William Haviland. Las composiciones y obras de piano son elegantes, hermosas y dulces también melancólico y ahumado. Pero hay su propio sabor Clásico y Folk. Asocio este álbum con “The Melody at Night, with You” de Keith Jarrett, “Summer” y “Montana: A Love Story” de George Winston.

Timepiece ((Autoeditado), 2018)

“Timepiece” es un álbum de Piano Clásico Moderno en solitario de William Haviland. Y el tema de este álbum es el tiempo.

“Interim” es una pieza de piano minimalista brillante y refrescante basada en arpegios.

“In Memoriam” es una dulce y un poco melancólica también clara canción balada.

“Continuum” es una canción melancólica pero apasionada basada en arpegios.

“Reminiscence” es una canción brillante y dulce, que asocia caminar en un paseo soleado.

“Forgotten Spring” es una pieza de piano sencilla, elegante y hermosa, basada en arpegios.

“It’s Time” es una canción de balada dulce con sabor a solo de piano de Jazz.

Un álbum de piano muy brillante y refrescante que es hacer un buen uso de la 7 ª y 9 ª acordes.

YouTube: Volume One ((Self Released), 2021)

“YouTube: Volume One” debe ser una recopilación de canciones que Haviland había subido a su YouTube, él también es YouTuber. Algunas canciones son covers de canciones Pop.

“Wicked Game” es una canción sencilla basada en arpegios y también refrescante.

“Dreams” es una apasionada pieza de piano improvisada.

“Still” es una dulce y fácil de escuchar balada clásica con sabor a Jazz.

“Songbird” es una pieza de piano lenta, suave y refrescante.

“Turning Piano” es una pieza de piano sencilla, dulce y relajante.

Una de las buenas obras de William Haviland.

Sketchbook: Volume One (Fridge Records)

“Sketchbook: Volume One” es un álbum de piano solo de William Haviland. Consta de diez piezas cortas originales para piano. Las composiciones son de gusto clásico y jazzístico, y fragmentarias. No hay una estructura fija ni repeticiones de un tema principal; como si dibujara una página de un cuaderno de bocetos, compone e interpreta una impresión o una imagen en una canción.

“O Becky” es una impresionante canción melancólica y también fresca.

“Ireland” es una composición nostálgica de sabor folk y clásico. Siento una honestidad y una dulzura.

“But Nobody Come” es una canción sencilla composición dulce pero apática.

“Sentimental Song” es un solo de piano Jazz sabor sentimental y hermosa canción como el título es, como Bill Evans.

Meditation: Volume One (Fridge Records, 2023)

“Meditation: Volume One” es un álbum de siete pistas y el primer volumen de música para la meditación.

Como sugiere el título este álbum son piezas tranquilas de piano para la meditación. Las piezas tienen sabor a balada apática, Clásica, Folk y Pop. Recuerdo piezas tranquilas y apacibles de George Winston y Joe Hisaishi.

Recursos y enlaces

William Haviland Piano Official Piano

Bandcamp

YouTube

Facebook Page

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Post-classical, New Age, Ambient, Ambient, Minimal Music, Electronica
(Español, Français, Italiano, English, Deutsch)

Jean-Michel Serres Apfel Café Apfelsaft Cinema Music Códigos QR Centro Español 2024.