Icelander Hildur Guðnadóttir is no stranger to experimental music fans, but has now received wider recognition for her score to the hit TV series Chernobyl, for which she was recently awarded an Emmy and nominated for a Grammy, as well as her score for Joker. 

The live presentation of the music of Chernobyl is much more than “just” the brilliant score. The performance is a unique, layered experience, incorporating recordings from Chernobyl’s sister power plant Ignalina in Lithuania, as well as Hildur’s voice, to create an immersive multichannel work for industrial spaces. 

To present the piece, Hildur is joined by Sam Slater and field recordist Chris Watson, artists who helped realise her vision for the TV score. The innovative lighting is by Theresa Baumgartner, and spatialisation by Francesco Donadello, helping craft the sound that comes from all around the room, sometimes so soft it doesn’t feel amplified, sometimes so loud it feels it could push you over.

The premiere of Chernobyl took place at Unsound Krakow 2019 in an abandoned factory. Future shows will take place in factories, a crematorium and a power plant. Please contact us if you are interested in booking Chernobyl, taking into account that we aim to only present the show as a stand-alone event in industrial and post-industrial spaces, ensuring it is always a special and powerful experience.

Chernobyl Live is commissioned by Unsound, Dark Mofo, the Barbican London and Rewire.