Daníel Bjarnason is a hub-like figure in the group of composers who could be said to constitute a First Icelandic School. But he also stands slightly apart from his peers. As the nation’s foremost conductor, he has premiered and recorded works by its central protagonists including Jóhann Jóhannsson, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir and others (notably on the Sono Luminus series Emergence, Recurrence and Occurrence). But Bjarnason’s own music has long sprawled beyond the borders of the school’s distinct aesthetic and incorporated non-abstract forms such as opera, dance and film scores.

While some Icelandic orchestral music enacts a gradual transformation on a vaporous orchestra, akin to the shifting shape and colour of a North Atlantic cloud, Bjarnason’s formative orchestral works often cleave to a solid, defined musical object which might be distorted or obscured before emerging again intact. His music has never shied away from the slow, drone-lagged music of Icelandic archetype but it has also used more varied tempi and more urgent rhythmic profiles. It has also deployed different time scales in parallel – notably in works such as Emergence and From Space I Saw the Earth, in which planes of music operating at different speeds momentarily sync. This brings to his music a sense of what the late Danish composer Per Nørgård described as ‘the timeless forces of existence – nature in the broadest sense.’

Those works had their roots in breakthrough concertos for cello and piano, Bow to String and Processions, both of which thrive on the process of expanding strong, fertile material by zooming deep in or stretching wide out – a more thematic, less spectral approach than that of Icelandic fashion but one that still sees Bjarnason reveling in the properties of sound itself. - Andrew Mellor

1-7. FEAST

I. a voluptuous scene that masquerade   4:35

II. the presence of a masked figure   4:14

III. the brazen lungs of the clock   2:19

IV. dance of the mummer   3:24

V. the revelation   3:16

VI. one by one dropped the revellers (danse macabre)   6:07

VII. dominion over all (skeleton procession)   1:36

8. Fragile Hope 14:17

In memory of Jóhann Jóhannsson

9-11. Inferno

1. The Bells 13:53

2. A Passage   6:08

3. Dark Shores 10:53

                                                                                                                                         Total Time:            70:48

Release date: February 27th, 2026
UPC: 053479228703

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Quotes & Reviews

“That Iceland has emerged as a powerhouse for new music is one of this century’s welcome developments. And its staying power is neatly demonstrated in Daníel Bjarnason’s The Grotesque & The Sublime (Sono Luminus), which showcases how that composer’s voice continues to develop through three large-scale works: Feast, Fragile Hope, and Inferno.” - Jonathan Blumhofer, Arts Fuse

“As [Bjarnason] leads the excellent Iceland Symphony Orchestra, he molds the thick orchestral swathes of his own compositions into clearly defined episodes.” - Esteban Meneses, Classical Voice

“the best classical album of the month” - Johanna Paulsson, Dagens Nyheter

“New Music This Week Top Pick: February 27, 2026” - Craig Byrd, Cultural Attache

“...Fast forward through many decades and the absorption of additional ideas from Europe and we meet Daníel Bjarnason, whose dramatic, unfettered music stirs this heritage into an approach that seems him equally at home when collaborating with Brian Eno or post-rockers, Sigur Ros… …his dense orchestrations and rhythmic drive are indeed reminiscent of Stravinsky at his most provocative..." - BBC Music Magazine

NPR All Songs Considered: January 13, 2026

“There is atmosphere, yes; I can hear the steam rising and the earth cracking as we  traverse, but the sound-world can change in an instant and we are thrust headlong into a  ferocious rugged chase.” - Phillip Harrisson, MusicWeb International

“Consistently present across all three works is the full spectrum of instrumental sounds of which a large orchestra is capable, with rich orchestral color and evolving textures, deep resonant chords, and huge dynamic crescendos. The result is a striking portrait of a composer who stands slightly apart from the atmospheric minimalism often associated with contemporary Icelandic music, offering instead music that is both vividly dramatic and deeply atmospheric.

As always, Sono Luminus' recording engineer Daniel Shores creates a recording of excellence. The sound is immediate and clear, with immense inner detail, full frequency extension, and tremendous dynamic range. The soundstage is nigh on perfection.” - Rushton Paul, Positive Feedback

“These wonderful examples of contemporary writing for the orchestra by Daníel Bjarnason should not be missed. They are like large, breathtaking landscapes being viewed from multiple angles. Bjarnason gives an expansive sense of space and time, framing a wide space with long notes in the strings, gradually unfolding scalar motions, slow polymeters, and sections of unmeasured time. Post-minimalist elements, like rhythmic repetition and gestures from symphonic film music, help to orient the listener. These pieces are deeply poetic … The Grotesque and the Sublime is an album of striking beauty, perfectly realized by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, soloists, and recording crew.” - AllMusic