Danish composer Halfdan E has long been one of Scandinavia’s most successful award winning film composers and he has now burst onto the international market with his music for all 3 series of Borgen. The show is screened all over the world (BBC Four in the UK) and in the US Newsweek recently hailed it as The Best Political Show Ever following the broadcast of the series 2 finale on August 5. The third and final series is now with broadcasters.
Since 1993 his signature style fusing electronics with classical orchestral sounds has been featured in more than 20 features, 5 television series and many documentaries and short films. His work has won 3 Danish Academy Soundtrack Awards, 2 Danish Grammys, and in addition his music for Borgen won the prestigious Fipa d’Or Grand Prize Best Original Soundtrack 2011. Outside Denmark some of his large scale orchestral scores have been recorded in London and Prague with leading orchestras.
His international films include A Somewhat Gentle Man (Paradox Productions); When Heaven Falls (Zentropa Productions); Lotto (Nordisk Film); Popular Music (Happy End Films); The Bouncer (Angel Films); The Inheritance (Zentropa Productions); Okay (Bech Film); Manslaughter (Zentropa Productions); Store Planer (Angel Films); and The Bench (Zentropa Productions).
In addition to Borgen, his other major tv series include Summer (DR Denmark); Appearances (DR Demark); Nynne (Angel Films); and Skrål (DR Denmark). Documentaries include The President (Guldbrandsen Film); Tintin & I (Angel Film); and Worlds Out of Time (SFC).
Halfdan started his career in music as a bass player in many different Danish bands in the early 1980s before joining the group Laid Back, then signed to BMG Records. The band’s international hits included Sunshine Reggae, Bakerman and White Horse. He later teamed up with the Danish poet Dan Turell and together they recorded 2 hit albums, winning 2 Danish Emmys. He was already an established rock star before studying for a degree at Copenhagen’s Academy of Music, majoring in playing, composition, orchestration, arranging and sound engineering.
Initially he created a successful career producing and arranging hits for top Danish groups such as Tv-2, Denmark’s most successful pop band. At the same time he started working with young film makers and eventually this new area of work largely took over although when time allows he does record and release commercial recordings, including soundtracks
As a senior figure in the Danish media Halfdan is Chairman of the Danish Federation of Film and Media Composers and is a leading campaigner for composers’ rights. He works from his own dedicated film music facility in Copenhagen.
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Halfden’s Credits Include
Features
ORLA FRØSNAPPER – Crone Film – Director Peter Dodd
A SOMEWHAT GENTLE MAN – Pradox Film – Director Hans Petter Moland
EN VANLIG DAG PA JOBBEN – Folk Fiest Film – Director Terje Ranges
WHEN HEAVEN FALLS – Zentropa Productions – Director Manyar Parwani
LOTTO – Nordisk Film – Director Peter Schrøder
GYMNAISIAERER PEDERSEN – Motlys NO Director Hans Petter Moland
MANSLAUGHTER – Zentropa 0 Director Per Fly
BIG PLANS – Angel Films – Director Jesper W. Nielsen
THE BOUNCER – Angel Films – Director Jesper W. Nielsen
INHERITANCE – Zentropa Productions – Director Per Fly
OKAY – Peter Bech – Director Jesper W Nielsen
MONAS WORLD – Per Holst – Jonas Elmer
PROP & BERTA – Zentropa Productions – Director Per Fly
THE BENCH – Zentropa Productions – Director Per Fly
MAX – Nimbus Films – Director Trine Phil
Television
BORGEN (all 30 eps) – DR – Producer Camilla Gjervig Gram
SUMMER (all 19 eps) – DR – Producer Kattrine Vogelsang
APPEARANCES (all 6 eps) – DR – Producer Marianne Jul Hansen Director Per Fly
NYNNE (all 13 eps) – Angel Films/TV3 Producer Nanna Mailand-Hansen
SKRAL (all eps) – DR – Producers Tim Cenius, Brigitte Fredsby
Documentaries
THE PRESIDENT – Guldbrandsen Film Director Christoffer Guldbrandsen
DAGBOG FRA MIDTEN – Everest Pictures – Director Christoffer Guldbrandseb
TINTIN ET MOI – Angel Films – Director Anders ØStergaard
AH MIN GUD – Folk Flest Film Director Gunnar Hall Pedersen
SA KORT OG MAERKELIGT LIVET ER – Everest Pictures Director Anders Østergaard
Shorts
MOR BYTTES – Zentropa Productions – Director Mariella Jensen
NOMAD – Director Nils Taylor
JOHN & ME – Koncern Films – Director Christian Dyekjær
HIDING PLACES – Easy Film – Director Mariella Jensen
PENNY PLAIN – Nimbus Films – Director Natascha Arty
PIGBANDEN – DR – Director Mariella Jnsen
THE LITTLE KNIGHT – Zentropa Productions Director Per Fly
Awards
Fipa D’Or Grand Prize Best Original Soundtrack 2011 – BORGEN
Danish Academy Roberts Soundtrack Award – MANSLAUGHTER, INHERITANCE
and OKAY
Danish Grammy Awards for albums GLAD I ABNINGSTIDEN & PAS PA PENGENE
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