Ólafur Arnalds — Hafursey, Iceland, Cercle, 2023

Filmed live concert by Icelandic composer and multi-instrumentalist Ólafur Arnalds, captured with his band at Hafursey, in the volcanic desert of Mýrdalssandur, at the foot of the Katla volcano, for Cercle. A major figure of neo-classical music, Arnalds has since the late 2000s explored a territory where chamber strings, piano and discreet electronics answer one another; he is also behind the experimental techno duo Kiasmos. In this almost lunar Icelandic landscape, the full concert unfolds a repertoire spanning his whole discography, from re:member to Only the Winds, through to the piece Hafursey (Yfir) composed for the location and released on Cercle Records. The capture, conceived as an immersive experience between music and nature, sets the fragility of piano washes against the mineral vastness of the setting. For fans of contemporary classical music, ambient and post-minimalism, this filmed live concert is an ideal entry point into the sensitive world of one of the most influential Scandinavian composers of his generation.