Magnús Rannver Rafnsson is an Icelandic mucisian and explorer, who thrives on new musical and intelectual experiences. Composing music has been a part of his musical activity form the early start, and despite having been trained originally according to traditional methods the ability to play by the ear has always been a part of his performance. The first 20 years musical activity was devoted mainly to playing the works of classic composers such as Bach, Chopin and Rachmaninoff. Rachmaninoff has always had a special place in Magnús´s music world.
At age of 35 Magnús decided to shift over to the „other side“ in order to better understand and explore new musical concepts. He applied for studies in jazzz music at Iceland´s best known (and only at the time) conservatory for jazz (FIH Music school). Many of Iceland´s best teachers and mucisians both in classical and jazz music have been his teachers, including Margrét Pálmadóttir, Svana Víkingsdóttir, Agnar Már Magnússon and Eyþór Gunnarsson.
Magnús released his first album with personal compositions and arrangements under the name Concrete (2011). Companied by drummer Einar Scheving, guitarist Andrés Þór Gunnlaugsson og bassist Leifur Gunnarsson, who all are well know mucisians in Reykjavík, the music was quite well received within Icelandic local groups dedicated to playing and listening to jazz. While interviewed on the most popular/renowned jazz program on Iceland´s national Radio, Fimm Fjórðu, directed by the famous jazz-guru Lana Kolbrún Eddudóttir, Magnús became the huldumaðurinn (e. the occultist) in Icelandic jazz music, refering to the Icelandic phenomenon álfar og huldumenn (fairies and ocultists), because he has not been publicly very visible in the typical Icelandic jazz scene.
Magnús´s path to musical activity in the field of jazz music is far from typical. Although having been playing music almost daily for 40 years, he is a professional German educated engineer (Universität Stuttgart 1993 to 1999) and former associated professor at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (2009 to 2021). As an environmental and structural engineering expert, he has had leading roles as a consultant and chief engineer in structural and architectural engineering design of many structures such as bridges, tanks and towers. Concrete plays a vital role in his life´s work.
His creativity is not limited to music, in year 2009 Magnús founded a startup (www.linudnas.org) together with Reykjavík University and a group of consulting and architectural offices setting the focus on environmental challenges related to construction. We don´t hear a lot about it - although it might be about to change; 40% of all global emissions are rooted in construction, mainly in concrete, steel and rocks. Linudan´s new technologies revolve around environmentally responsive lightweight structures made of hybrid fiber reinforced composites. Magnús too is hybrid in his approach to music, design and innovations.
Concrete Abstracts (2022) is Magnús´s 2nd release. It is an ode to the complexities of concrete and natural environment - a requiem even - because either reinforced concrete as we know it has to change or the natural environment will, to a far greater extent than anticipated today.