Many of you have been lucky enough to attend one of Ólafur Arnalds delicate and fragile concerts. But fewer of you have witnessed those rare moments when Ólafur invites his fans to embrace the creative process of his song writing. Sometimes Óli has appeared to conclude his shows with the teasing announcement: "we're out of songs" swiftly followed by offering the audience a chance to witness him compose a new song there and then. Stripped of the usual intricate details and the many hours of refined arranging that typify most of his compositions, the audience is instead invited to view the inner workings of the songwriting process. Sitting at the piano, the audience is lured into the process with a gentle warning that "there's no guarantee that this song will be any good!".
After a brief explanation of the array of alien looking electronic devices that sit on top of his piano, the audience is prompted to suggest a theme for a composition. Assisted by looping machines, electronic sounds and beats, Ólafur starts playing the first thing that comes into his head and promptly delivers a unique composition untouched by the usual constraints of songwriting - but nevertheless accurately embracing the suggested theme. While the the new work may not contain the complexity and decorative subtlety of his studio works, the audience is more than compensated by being party to the creative process and witnessing the unveiling of a new composition in front of their eyes.
It was last November - after one such occasion - that Ólafur said to me "what if I do a whole show like this? Or even a whole tour?".
In order to ensure the necessary intimacy we've decided to only play to very small audiences. Each night Ólafur will be taking these small audiences on a journey around his creative world. While explaining the details and techniques of the creative process, he will also be actively involving them in the dynamic decisions related to each composition. Alongside a continuous dialogue with the audience, there will also be an attempt to include them in the composition. People will be asked to clap their hands and stomp their feet while Ólafur records these sounds as an ingredient for loops and beats. Likewise they will be invited to sing like a choir and have their voices electronically manipulated into the composition and thereby fabricating a unique collaboration between artist and audience.
In addition, Ólafur is hoping that several evenings will see him improvising alongside some of his fellow composers and friends including Peter Broderick and Anne Muller. As well as an opportunity to question Ólafur about his approach to songwriting the audience will have a rare opportunity to witness the internal processes of musical composition, while at the same time Ólafur is hoping that these events will generate ideas and fragments of ideas that will evolve and hopefully re-emerge on Ólafur's next studio album.
- Geoff Wener, Ólafur's manager