Atli Heimir Sveinsson

Atli Heimir Sveinsson was born in Reykjavík, Iceland 1938. He studied at Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Cologne, Germany, from 1959-1963. Ever since he has been one of the most influential and controversial figure in Icelandic music life both as a composer and organizer. 
In 1976 Sveinsson was the first Icelander to be awarded the prestigious Nordic Music Prize, for his Flute Concerto.
Through his teachers Sveinsson became conversant with different types of Central European culture, a little old-fashioned Jewish humanism from Günter Raphael, a dialectic view of history from Bernd Alois Zimmermann, and the post-war musical avant-gardism after as personified by Karlheinz Stockhausen and Gottfried Michael Koenig.
As a composer Sveinsson is an expressive and at times provocative experimenter, not least as regards form. The means available at his disposal have gradually come to embrace a wide expressions and styles.
But there is another important element, namely the yarning found in the sound texture, harmonies and melodies of the late romantics. Sveinsson attempts to embrace elements from other musical heritages especially from Japan, and other musical genres such as jazz and rock music.
There is however the same plurality: openness, surprise, richness of image and fantasy are weighed against monotony, brutality, the sensitivity of chamber music, burlesque, and real or parodied romantic expressiveness....