Gabríel Ólafs is an Icelandic pianist, composer, and producer whose work blends classical tradition with fantasy and a strikingly modern sense of atmosphere. Born in Reykjavík in 1998, he began playing piano at the age of five, receiving both classical and jazz training before emerging as a recording artist while still a teenager.
His debut album, Absent Minded, was released in 2019, and his subsequent work has expanded steadily in scope—from the solo intimacy of Piano Works to the folk-inspired Lullabies for Piano and Cello, which grew out of a 1906 Icelandic songbook he discovered in an antique shop.
He is also the co-founder of the Reykjavík Orkestra, and has quickly become one of the most distinctive young voices in contemporary instrumental music. Most recently, with Polar, he has moved further into speculative, atmospheric composition, drawing in part on the dreamlike emotional language of video games.
Gabriel Ólafs:
Website Releases Archive Spotify Apple Music YouTube Instagram
Polar:
Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Music Buy CD (Decca Classics) Buy from Decca Records US YouTube Playlist
Polar: Traveler's Log:
Polar: Building A World:
The Waves:
Forza Horizon 6:
Other Gabriel Ólafs Releases / Labels:
Oli Records Decca Classics Releases Archive
Jóhann Jóhannsson / IBM 1401:
Listen on Spotify Watch on YouTube
Nils Frahm:
Gabriel's Perfect Console: World of Warcraft The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered God of War Death Stranding Baldur's Gate 3
Other Games Discussed The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Diablo IV Metal Gear Solid 2
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