“Fuck!” was, somewhat surprisingly, the first thing Ólafur Arnalds said once he stepped on the stage of The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the ancient Roman stone theater right beneath the Acropolis in Athens. “It’s the first time we play live after almost 2 years, and this place is beautiful”, he continued.

It was a hot summer night, and the Icelandic composer quickly made it clear this was not his preferred climate: “It is too warm here, thank God the sun went down!” Having taken his seat at the grand piano, he went on to perform some of the music from his latest work Some Kind of Peace together with a string quartet comprised of Petur Björnsson and Viktor Orri Arnason (violins), Unnur Jonsdottir (cello), and Karl James Pestka (viola).

Ólafur’s delicate harmonies and elegant melodic lines were in tune with the serenity of the surroundings, and the sporadic singing of the cicadas complemented the music perfectly. The blend of piano, strings, loops and beats created a special ambience that captivated the audience, which responded enthusiastically throughout the evening.

The Icelandic musician and producer has had an exciting journey so far, marked by collaborations with artists such as Nils Frahm and pianist Alice Sera Ott. His latest album is a personal statement, a way for him to express his creative development amid a rapid-changing and chaotic world.

A way, as its title implies, to create some kind of peace – both for him and the listeners who find solace in his delightful, meditative music.