Paul Hillier on the trails of Jóhann Jóhannsson (Retrospective II, Deutsche Grammophon)

Honoring his legacy, Deutsche Grammophon has created a two-volume RETROSPECTIVE edition, whose carefully chosen recordings reveal just how dramatically Jóhannsson’s writing evolved over the years.
Retrospective I contains seven of his earlier albums, including the immersive Virðulegu forsetar, with its single hour-long piece for brass, percussion, electronics, organs and piano; And in the Endless Pause There Came the Sound of Bees, his richly atmospheric music for the film Varmints; The Miners’ Hymns, an anthem for the mining communities of northern England; and the previously unreleased soundtrack to the documentary White Black Boy.
The complementing Retrospective II offers a wide-ranging selection of Jóhannsson’s multi-award-winning film scores and influential studio albums. Comprising eight CDs and a bonus DVD of his 2016 “Live at Funkhaus Berlin”, this volume also contains previously unreleased tracks from his Grammy- and Golden Globe-nominated score written for the sci-fi drama Arrival and for his Deutsche Grammophon debut Orphée, including a new re-work of “Flight from the City” by Víkingur Ólafsson.
Both limited-edition sets are being released as hardcover books containing rare photos taken of and by the composer, as well as essays by John Schaefer and Wyndham Wallace that contextualise the works in each volume and provide insights into Jóhannsson’s life and his aesthetic outlook.
To celebrate the release of 'Retrospective II', we spoke to some of the people who knew him best as well as collaborated on some of his most popular and successful projects.
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