Back catalogue: Modern Classical

Review: Before he passed in 2018, the late, great Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson made a series of field recordings at Iceland's Ellidaar power plant which were inspired by the writings of Henry Adams. Those pieces inspired this new suite of music from Daniel Bjarnason and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra which also includes some of Johannsson's scores to Sicario and The Theory of Everything. It is a sublime work that joins the dots between all of Johannsson's work with soft drones, brass tones and chiming harpsichord all coming and going to make for emotional and dramatic tension. A fine reminder of one of the greats who sadly left us too soon.

Review: The late Johann Johannsson, whose tragic death in 2018 shocked the music and film worlds at large, hears a new posthumous album released under Deutsche Grammophon here. Performed by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra on this recording, the suite first sprang inspirationally from field recordings the artist made at Iceland's Ellidaar power plant - from here, it brings together myriad inspirations, from the oncoming tide of environmental crisis in Iceland, to the autobiographic writing of historian Henry Adams (a famous critic of the Second Industrial Revolution, who distilled the encroaching tide of global industry into a singular neologism, "dynamo"). Though the new work is paired with older scores for the films Sicario and The Theory Of Everything, the whole album is a fresh take on Johannsson's best work, breathing new sonic vigour into the sociopolitical critique that bloomed towards the end of his life.

Review: Formed in 2018, Dream House Quartet has been reshaping the boundaries between classical and contemporary music. The group consists of pianists Katia and Marielle Labeque, both renowned for their versatility across genres, along with Grammy-winning guitarist Bryce Dessner of The National and composer-producer David Chalmin on guitar. Their repertoire spans radical commissions and essential works from the past 50 years. After releasing their self-titled digital EP in 2023, the quartet now unveils their latest project, Sonic Wires, coinciding with a November 2024 tour. The album features pieces by Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Bryce Dessner, Sufjan Stevens and Anna Thorvaldsdottir.