Plus Paul Giallorenzo
Copresented by The Empty Bottle and MCA
Ólafur Arnalds makes beautiful and beguiling electronic chamber music. In this large staged concert, he’ll be on piano joined by his full band, with Margret Soffia Einarsdottir on violin, Eva Gudny Thorarinsdottir on violin, Laura Ann Feeney on viola, Unnur Jonsdottir on cello, and Fridfinnur Sigurdsson on electronics.
Arnalds’ new full-length album …and they have escaped the weight of darkness evokes the sense that, as he says, “there is always light after darkness.” Full of rich emotion, his music organically fuses 21st-century electronics with classical vocabulary, combining his trademark piano and other post-classical instrumentation with modern beats and loops.
About the Artists
Ólafur Arnalds
Originally a drummer in the Icelandic hardcore bands, Fighting Shit and Celestine, Ólafur Arnalds released his first solo album, Eulogy for Evolution, in 2007 and has since released three more recordings, including the acclaimed June 2010 release of …and they have escaped the weight of darkness. Arnalds mixes strings and piano with loops and electronic beats to merge the classical and pop genres. While his symphonic compositions are delicate, his work may be compared to the mostly instrumental bands Sigur Rós, Mogwai, and Godspeed You Black Emperor! Sigur Rós asked Arnalds to open for their 2008 European tour. Born in the Icelandic town of Mosfellsbær, a few kilometers outside of Reykjavík, the 23-year-old composer has rapidly advanced from a support-act to an internationally respected artist in his own right. He also works in cross-disciplinary settings, and composed Dyad 1909 for award-winning choreographer Wayne McGregor of Random Dance.
Paul Giallorenzo
Born and raised in New York, Paul Giallorenzo is a Chicago-based improviser, composer, and sound designer using piano, synthesizer, and electronics. Paul is a co-founder and director of Elastic Arts, a non-profit organization that operates the creative music and visual arts venue Elastic.