Gabríel Ólafs - Lullabies for Piano and Cello (Deluxe Edition) (2023/2024)

Acclaimed Icelandic composer Gabríel Ólafs has released his new body of work, Lullabies for Piano and Cello, through Decca Records US.

The prolific composer’s international reputation has been growing since his 2019 album Absent Minded. The new ten-track set is inspired by an 1880 collection of melodies that Gabríel unearthed at an antique bookshop in his home city of Reykjavik. On the original composition “Fantasia,” he is accompanied by his close friend and collaborator, cellist Steiney Sigurðardóttir, on a song that exemplifies the essence of the stripped-back album, with a simple piano motif playfully ebbing and flowing amidst moments of airy cello.

This Deluxe Edition features 9 all-new bonus tracks!

“Steiney is someone with whom I can communicate nonverbally through music. We recorded the latter half of the album right after Steiney had given birth. The piano is the foundation of the album and the opening of the conversation with the cello, which is very much the mother’s voice, sometimes speaking, sometimes singing.”- Gabríel Ólafs

“No matter where you’re from, one of the most common musical memories is your mother singing lullabies to you. Half of the tracks on this album were composed by me, the rest are recomposed Viking melodies discovered in an old bookshop in Reykjavik. I’m taking some liberties, changing a few notes, and reharmonizing things. I’m basically filling in the blanks. I chose melodies that have impacted Icelandic culture for 1,000 years or more. Lullabies are core musical memories for all of us, and with Lullabies for Piano and Cello I hope to unlock them for you.”

Tracklist
01. Fantasía
02. Sálmur
03. Noktúrna
04. Eldur
05. Vísa
06. Mamma
07. Barnkind
08. Frost
09. Bambaló
10. Draumheimar
11. Nightsong
12. Oríensa
13. Somnía
14. Fantasía Variation
15. Sálmur Variation
16. Vísa Variation
17. Noktúrna Variation
18. Frost (Grand Piano)
19. Noktúrna (Upright Piano)