Jóhann Jóhannsson

The Miners' Hymns - A new film by Bill Morrison with live score by Jóhann Jóhannsson

2010-06-22T22:30:51Z

At the request of the BRASS 2010, Forma has brought together filmmaker Bill Morrison and musician and composer Jóhann Jóhannsson to present a film accompanied by a live musical score in the dramatic setting of Durham Cathedral. Morrison's film is made of footage taken from the BFI and other archives and reflects the life and times of Britain's old mining communities. Johannson’s score draws upon the region’s brass music culture; it will be performed live by a specially assembled ensemble of classically trained brass musicians and brass band players from the NASUWT Riverside Band, with organist Robert Houssart, led by Icelandic conductor Gudni Franzson. Learn more about the production and its premiere here Tickets: £12 full price, £8 concessions. All tickets can be purchased online at http://www.galadurham.co.uk/ or from the Gala Theatre box office on 0191 332 4041.

Defective Tour CD´s

2010-06-18T09:45:27Z

Some of the "Live Recordings" limited tour CD's that were sold on the US and Canadian tour in May may have been defective. If you´ve bought a defective CD, we´ll be glad to replace it. Please send an email to: apparat (at) mi.is with your address, the number of your CD and place of purchase.

Siggi Ármann, 1973-2010

2010-06-02T07:46:13Z

I, along with many others in the Icelandic music community, mourn the untimely passing of Sigurður Ármann Kristjánsson, known to most as Siggi Ármann. I was lucky enough to work with him on two of his albums, Mindscape and Music for the Addicted. From the first time Sigtryggur Baldursson played me his rough home recordings, his music affected me deeply with its simplicity, precision and emotional directness. It was simple and sophisticated, naive and profoundly metaphysical at the same time. His songs were often precisely composed, with his simple three part arrangements, raw guitar picking and simple but expressive lyrics, often just one repeated phrase which stuck to your brain like a mantra. Working with Siggi was like working with the gentlest viking warrior in the world; his imposing physical presence was in sharp contrast with the delicacy of his music, vocals and guitar playing as well as the gentleness of his manner. His life was not an easy one and he battled severe depression all his adult life. He was not always easy to work with but his uniquely individual talent, his kindness and all-consuming enthusiasm for music made working with him one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. He will be missed. Jóhann Jóhannsson

New film with live score, new CD, US and UK tours

2010-04-26T00:12:11Z

The Miners´ Hymns - a new collaboration with filmmaker Bill Morrison: July will see the premiere of a new work by Jóhann Jóhannsson, The Miners´ Hymns, a collaboration with the American filmmaker Bill Morrison, commissioned by the Durham Brass Festival and Forma. The performance will be in Durham Cathedral on July 15th and 16th. From the Forma press release: "The Miners’ Hymns is a poignant and powerful reflection on the place of brass music at the heart of social and industrial history of North East England. Bill Morrison’s film is composed of footage from the British Film Institute and other archives, set to a new score for brass by the internationally acclaimed Icelandic musician and composer Jóhann Jóhannsson. The score will be performed live by twenty musicians, including brass band and classically trained players from the region." The brass ensemble is composed of members of the Riverside Brass Band with guest players as well as the organist Robert Houssart and is conducted by Gudni Franzson. New album, “And in the endless pause there came the sound of bees” out on April 12th Jóhann´s music for Marc Craste´s award winning film “Varmints” will be released on CD on the Type label in April 12th 2010. The score, which has won awards at film festivals in the US and Japan, was previously released in a limited edition only available on Jóhann´s US tour in summer 2009. This new “official” release includes two previously unavailable tracks. From the Type press release: "Jóhannsson emerged on the influential Touch label with the genre-defining 'Englaborn' album in 2002, and since then he has gone from strength to strength becoming one of the most important figures in post-classical music. With two towering records for the 4AD label, it was only a matter of time before he was asked to record a film soundtrack, and 'And In The Endless Pause There Came The Sound Of Bees' is the result. An accompaniment to Marc Craste's animated film 'Varmints', this is a collection of achingly beautiful orchestral work balanced on a bed of Jóhannsson's patented electronics. Surprisingly however, the film itself is not intrinsic to the enjoyment of the music; Jóhannsson's score stands alone perfectly as a haunting collection of tracks." The album can be pre-ordered on iTunes: here. There may still be some copies of the vinyl version out there, but they´re going fast, so if you want one try clicking here. The CD can be ordered here. North American tour in May Jóhann will tour the US again in May, and this time the tour includes dates in Canada and on the US West Coast. The touring set-up will be the familiar 6 piece including long-time Icelandic collaborator Matthías Hemstock. Strings are handled by Clarice Jensen, Keats Diefenbach, Yuki Numata and Ben Russell of the amazing ACME ensemble, who also toured with Jóhann last year. 30 April New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge 01 May Brooklyn, NY - Littlefield 02 May Boston, MA - Brattle Theater 03 May Montreal, Quebec - L'Astral Theatre 04 May Toronto, Ontario - Mod Club 06 May Pittsburgh, PA - Garfield Artworks 07 May Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall 08 May Minneapolis MN - Cedar Cultural Center 11 May Vancouver, British Columbia - Biltmore Theater 12 May Seattle, WA - Triple Door Theater 13 May Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater 14 May San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall 15 May Los Angeles, CA – Silent Movie Theater UK dates in May: The American tour will be followed by a short tour of the UK in May where Jóhann will be performing with the distinguished Iskra String Quartet: 26 May 2010 Prince Albert, Brighton, England 27 May 2010 St Giles in the Fields, London, England 28 May 2010 Church of St. John the Baptist, Coventry, England 29 May 2010 Opera North – Howard Assembly Room, Leeds, England

CD release and winter/spring concerts

2010-01-30T22:20:49Z

“And in the endless pause there came the sound of bees” released on Type in April 2010 Jóhann´s music for Marc Craste´s award winning film “Varmints” will be released on CD on the Type label in April 2010. The score, which has won awards at film festivals in the US and Japan, was previously released in a limited edition only available on Jóhann´s US tour in summer 2009. This new “official” release includes two previously unavailable tracks. The album is also available NOW in limited quantities on clear and black vinyl. Winter concert dates in Europe: Jóhann will play several dates in Europe in the coming weeks and months with his ensemble. Among those performing with Jóhann are: Hildur Guðnadóttir, Matthías Hemstock, James Underwood, Ivo Stankov, Charlotte Rook and Emma Owens, with visuals by Magnús Helgason. 07 Feb 2010 La 2 De Apolo - duo with Hildur Guðnadóttir– Barcelona, Spain 09 Feb 2010 Cultuurcentrum – Hasselt, Belgium 10 Feb 2010 De Warende - Turnhout, Belgium 11 Feb 2010 Cultuurcentrum - Mechelen, Belgium 12 Feb 2010 De Spil – Roeselare, Belgium 28 Mar 2010 Brussels Electronic Music Festival, Brussels, Belgium 15 April 2010 Node Festival c/o Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro, Milan, Italy 26 May 2010 Brighton TBC 27 May 2010 St Giles in the Fields, London, England 28 May 2010 Church of St. John the Baptist, Coventry, England 29 May 2010 Opera North – Howard Assembly Room, Leeds, England Tour of US and Canada in May Jóhann will tour North America again in May, and this time the tour includes dates in Canada and on the US West Coast. The touring set-up will be the familiar 6 piece including long-time Icelandic collaborator Matthías Hemstock. Strings are handled by Clarice Jensen, Keats Diefenbach, Yuki Numata and Ben Russell of the amazing ACME ensemble, who also toured with Jóhann last year. 30 April New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge 01 May Brooklyn, NY - Littlefield 02 May Boston, MA - Brattle Theater 03 May Montreal, Quebec - L'Astral Theatre 04 May Toronto, Ontario - Mod Club 06 May Pittsburgh, PA - Garfield Artworks 07 May Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall 08 May Minneapolis MN - Cedar Cultural Center 11 May Vancouver, British Columbia - Biltmore Theater 12 May Seattle, WA - Triple Door Theater 13 May Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater 14 May San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall 15 May Los Angeles, CA – Silent Movie Theater New piece for solo piano premiered in Tokyo Japanese pianist Tomoko Yasawa will premiere a new commissioned piece written by Jóhann for solo piano and electronics in the Suginami Koukaidou Recital Hall in Tokyo on February 27th.

"Dreams in Copenhagen" - November 6th in DR Koncert Huset

2009-11-02T23:22:53Z

"Dreams in Copenhagen" - A new documentary by Max Kestner with a score by Jóhann Jóhannsson will be the opening film of the CPH:DOX film festival in Copenhagen. The gala screening will feature Jóhann performing the score live with the 24 piece DR Ungdomsensemblet in the DR Concert house. Get tickets here.

"And in the endless pause there came the sound of bees"

2009-10-14T21:08:22Z

Jóhanns award-winning score for Marc Craste´s BAFTA-nominated animated short film "Varmints" will see an official release on the Type label. Jóhann released the score as a limited edition CD in July 2009, but the Type release is an expanded version, with previously unavailable material. A vinyl LP version and downloadable tracks will be available this year, with a CD to follow next year. More details soon.

Upcoming Concerts

2009-10-14T20:58:58Z

A special performance with Krakow Sinfonietta 22nd October Jóhann will play a special concert with the 30 piece Krakow Sinfonietta, one of Polands most respected ensembles, in the amazing Krakow Philharmonic Hall on the 22nd of October - the concert is a part of the Unsound Festival The program will include material that has never been performed live before, new orchestral arrangements of older pieces as well as pieces from the albums "Fordlandia" and "IBM 1401, a User's Manual". Jóhann will play only two more concerts with his ensemble this year: October 31st : Music in Mind Festival in Bruges, Belgium: November 10th: Les Trinitaires in Metz, France:

"Englabörn" - Gatefold Vinyl edition

2009-07-23T18:31:31Z

Touch have reissued Englabörn on vinyl, in a luscious gatefold sleeve designed by Jon Wozencroft. This vinyl edition features the original CDs 16 tracks, and was cut by Jason at Transition. On its original release in 2002, The Wire wrote: "typifies Jóhannsson's score with its precise use of metaphor, its exceptional balance (digital/analogue, harsh/soft, violent/tender etc.) and its expressive leitmotifs that unveil a profound sadness without ever wallowing in pathos." You can buy the gatefold vinyl edition of Englabörn in the TouchShop.

Varmints coming to a cinema near you

2009-02-11T11:27:29Z

Varmints by Marc Craste, for which Jóhann wrote the original score, was nominated for BAFTA for best animated short. It is currently touring cinemas in the US with the 5 Oscar nominated short animations and 5 other short films commended by the Academy. Jóhann is preparing the Varmints score for release on record, which will happen later in the year.

Concerts in Europe and US

2009-02-11T11:19:44Z

Jóhann Jóhannsson will play several concerts with his 6 piece ensemble in the coming months. See the full list here.

More dates in England in May and in the US in June to be announced soon!

"Fordlandia" out November 3rd, New Video

2008-11-03T17:41:05Z

A new video by Magnús Helgason can be seen in the Media section.

Fordlandia is out on November 3rd: "A work of astonishing beauty." Q (4/5) "Jóhannsson's most ambitious and fully realised achievement to date." Rock Sound (8/10) "An ambitiously themed, leftfield, modern classical album that not only impresses, but totally enthrals." Drowned in Sound (8/10) Fordlândia is a fascinating, immersive and deeply rewarding web of ideas and melodies, sure to please fans and win him even more new listeners. It's the second installment in a proposed trilogy based on technology and iconic American brand names and where IBM 1401, A User's Manual (the first in the trilogy released in 2006) was a personal response to the first computer to arrive in Iceland and its inevitable obsolescence (inspired by his father's own work with mainframe computers in the 1960s), Fordlândia springs out of a far more diffuse set of influences. It brings together the soaring grandeur of its predecessor – some sections were recorded with the same orchestra in Prague – and the intimacy of Englabörn, moving between heady, melting cadences and crystalline motifs with gorgeous, dreamlike logic. Jóhann has also recently composed scores for the award-winning animator Marc Craste (Varmints, 2008) and the American independent film Personal Effects The full tracklisting for Fordlandia follows: 1. Fordlandia 2. Melodia (I) 3. Rocket Builder The (Io Pan) 4. Melodia (II) 5. FordlandiaAerial View 6. Melodia (III) 7. Chimaerica 8. Melodia (IV) 9. Great God Pan Is Dead 10. Melodia (Guidelines For A Propulsion Device Based On Heim's Quantum Theory) 11. How We Left Fordlandia More reviews of "Fordlandia" can be read here:

Vocal IV at Sequences festival in Reykjavik

2008-10-19T14:18:57Z

Jóhann performed his collaboration with the visual artist Rúrí in the Reykjavik Art Museum Hafnarhús on the 12th of October as a part of the Sequences 2008 festival. Rúrí's films of Icelandic waterfalls were accompanied by a new piece by Jóhann for 4 electric guitars, metallic percussion and electronics. Click here for photos from the event.

Varmints: Best original score

2008-08-14T20:10:51Z

Jóhann has won first prize for best original score at the Rhode Island Film Festival for his music for Marc Craste´s Varmints. The film also won the Grand prize for best animated film.

New album announced

2008-08-10T23:24:15Z

Johann's new album, "Fordlândia", will be released on November 4th in the US and November 3rd in the rest of the world. A full press relase with more information can be viewed here.