Anna Thorvaldsdottir

Where would you like to live?

I am very content where I live right outside London, but my Icelandic roots are always very strong and I very much enjoy to go back to spend time there regularly. The physical space in Iceland is so different to that in England and I really love how far you can usually see on the horizon there, so it took quite some time to get used to the narrow roads in the English countryside when I first moved here, with trees embracing you at every turn. Both is really beautiful in its own way, but I feel like I organically carry the open Icelandic spaces within me, and that it manifests within my music in some way even though I don’t think about creating that consciously.

What mistakes are you most willing to forgive?

Everyone makes mistakes of course, so, as I am sure most people would feel, mistakes that are sincerely regretted and not repeated are usually easy to forgive.

Your favourite character in history?

I really honestly don’t think in terms of favourite characters, never have… I of course have favourite humans, in family and friends… but it is really difficult to pinpoint a favourite character in history - especially as it is impossible to really know them. I like open-mindedness, compassion, sensitivity, respect and creativity so my favourite characters embody some (or all) of those qualities.

Your favourite designer/artist?

There are so many artists and designers that I greatly respect, but, again, I have always found it really hard to think in terms of “favourites”, so there are many, but Björk has always had a special place as an artist that I really greatly admire. The things that she has done and continues to do are so monumentally phenomenal and growing up with such a role model, that comes from the same island in the north that you are from, without a shadow of a doubt played a big role in being able to mirror myself in the possibility of being a music creative. Also, more generally I am very interested in fashion and design, and in creative expression through yourself in various ways.

Your favourite character trait?

I would probably say sincerity… I like honest and respectful relationships and sincerity is usually a character trait that indicates that people feel secure and content, able to be who they are and respect the same in others.

Your favourite flower?

For me flowers represent so many different things in life, everything from beauty and growth to death and everything in between. I often think about my music in terms of “flowering” or “blossoming” and creatively I am continuously “growing seeds” when I write my music, allowing ideas to organically emerge and become what they naturally progress to. Every idea sprouts other ideas that then further blossom into other concepts. And this is how I find my music, by listening internally and “allowing” for the materials to naturally unfold and reveal themselves throughout the process.

What natural gift would you like to have?

The qualities that are perhaps most important in my view are being kind and compassionate and to have sincere respect for others and everything, all life, which     I work continuously on growing. But if I were to dream then I would like to be able to fly.

Would you like to have an absolute memory?

Probably not… Memory is of course a wonderful thing, and I do have a very good memory, but I don’t think it would be good for anyone really to have an absolute memory, I would imagine that to be quite a burden to carry throughout life.

How old would you like to be?

If the question is how long I would like to live then the answer is for as long as my health would continue to allow me to enjoy life, that is how long I would like to live. Of course I hope and would love to grow old with my husband and family and to watch the younger generations in my family grow up.

Do you like travelling?

I only really travel for music so yes, I very much enjoy that of course, and very much enjoy working together in music with all these amazing people around the world. I don’t particularly enjoy the “travel” part itself though, the getting from point a to b, but I am sure most of us would feel like that…

What do you do when you are travelling?

When I’m on the road I try to take it easy and relax during travel, as it is not possible for me to work on music while traveling. And I try to see some things or go out to dinners in the places that I’m visiting when the schedule allows. But usually I have very packed schedules when I travel so I don’t always get a chance to explore, but it is really nice when it is possible.

Let's talk about music. How would you describe your instrument?

I really have a passion for writing music for orchestras and larger ensembles, so my instrument is probably most organically the symphony orchestra. This comes from the way I hear music internally and all the textures within it. That really resonates with what is possible to achieve with a large group of performers. I studied the cello for a long time as a teenager and younger adult and took it really really seriously, practicing many many hours every day, so I do have a special relationship to strings as well.

Do or did you like to practise?

I have always really believed in practicing a lot, it is of course not always “likeable” per se to practice but the reward is so sweet and good that I really enjoy practicing. At first when I was starting to write music I thought about it as “practice”, so I wrote a lot of music before I started to study composition. For example I wrote my first orchestra piece before beginning to study, from the sheer passion of wanting to express myself though this big body of instruments. And I of course “practice” composing every day as I work on my music and in a way also feel like I’m practicing in my mind as I place myself behind all the different instruments that I am writing for each time.

How important is applause for you?

Applause can be so different depending on where in the world you are, but of course it is always wonderful when people show that they appreciate what you have made. I really like to connect with the audience and to bring to them the music that I have spent so much time making, so yes, of course it is heartwarming to experience applause but it is not least also great to hear from people after a performance or on social media, to hear their experiences of the music.

Do you have a ritual before a concert?

Not really but I try to relax and give myself a good headspace before concerts. Headspace is something that is really important to me, also probably one of my most important “tools” for finding and writing my music, so for me it is somewhat of a “happy place” to go to a quiet headspace. And it is for example particularly important to get some quiet state of mind ahead of a premiere, so it has I guess become a habit for me to try to achieve this “rest of the mind” before a concert.

What do you appreciate about conductors or orchestras?

It is wonderful to work with all these amazing performers and conductors and to bring our musicality together through performances. What I perhaps enjoy the most is the respect that we have for each other and how we connect in this mutual goal of bringing music into the world together.

If you were to create a questionnaire, what question would it contain?

What do you most enjoy doing?

And what would your answer be?

Making music, being with my family and friends, spending time with my niece and nephews, being out in nature, looking up at the sky or tending to my flowers…

Interview: Ulrike Thiele