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Episode details

Radio 3 Unwind,29 May 2023,59 mins

SeriesÓlafur Arnalds: Series 2

Calm sounds for sunsets feat. James Acaster

Ultimate Calm

Available for 321 days

Join Icelandic composer and pianist Ólafur Arnalds for another unique musical adventure to seek out that all too elusive feeling of calm. In this episode, Ólafur creates a soothing soundtrack reflective of one of the most inspiring times of day - sunset. His home of Iceland is famous for its eternal darkness during the winter months, but Ólafur prefers to see this as an eternal sunset - when the sun barely rises in the darkest of winter, the whole day is dusk. He plays songs to soundtrack this feeling of eternal sunset, with music from Meredith Monk, Nkeiru Okoye and Oliver Coates. Plus, Ólafur’s favourite comedian James Acaster selects his sonic safe haven - the piece of music that brings him ultimate calm. James picks a track that has brought him calm for nearly twenty years, one that he always returns to for its vivid soundscape of diving guitar lines and evocative electronics. These eventually morph into a forlorn indie song that tells a story of love and nature, while you close your eyes and drift away… Produced by Katie Callin A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3 and BBC Sounds

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Tracklist

  1. Track
    Artist
  2. 1.
    Saman ii (sunrise sessions)
    Saman ii (sunrise sessions)
    Ólafur Arnalds
  3. 2.
    Fading Lights Are Fading
    Fading Lights Are Fading
    Set Fire to Flames
  4. 3.
    Dark/Light 2
    Dark/Light 2
    Meredith Monk