2009 in Scandinavian music

The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in Scandinavian music in 2009.

Events

• 13 January – Swedish band Lord Belial cancel all planned activities after their drummer, Micke Backelin, develops a hearing problem. ^[1]
• 17 January – Copenhagen's new concert hall, Koncerthuset, is officially opened by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. ^[2]
• 23 January – Mezzo-soprano Marianne Beate Kielland is awarded the Nordlysprisen 2009 at Nordlysfestivalen. ^[3]
• 31 January – Niels Brinck wins the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2009, with "Believe Again", written by Lars Halvor Jensen, Martin Michael Larsson and Ronan Keating. A new voting format is used for the competition. ^[4]
• 1 February – Lead vocalist Petri Lindroos leaves Finnish band Norther, to be replaced by Aleksi Sihvonen. ^[5]
• 5 February – Swedish band Steel Attack announce that guitarist Simon Johansson is leaving. ^[6]
• 8 February – At the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, the award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (With Orchestra) goes to Hilary Hahn with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. ^[7]
• 23 February – Iceland's Ólafur Arnalds and the Faroes' Janus Rasmussen announce the recording debut of their new duo, Kiasmos. ^[8]
• March – Norwegian musician Varg Vikernes is released from prison on parole after 16 years served for the murder of another musician, Øystein Aarseth (aka Euronymous). ^[9]
• 30 March – Vocalist Roland Johansson announces he is leaving Swedish band Sonic Syndicate. He is later replaced by Nathan James Biggs. ^[10]
• 15 May – Hrafna Hanna Elísa Herbertsdóttir wins the fourth series of Idol stjörnuleit , Iceland's version of Pop Idols . ^[11]
• 16 May – Belarus-born Alexander Rybak wins the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow for Norway with the song "Fairytale". ^[12]
• 10 June – The complete version of Frederik Magle's Cantabile is premièred at the Koncerthuset, Copenhagen, at a concert to celebrate the 75th birthday of Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark, on whose poems the work was based. ^[13]
• 18 June – The Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra, Nordnorsk Opera og Symfoniorkester, is founded in Tromsø. ^[14]
• 25 July – Masterplan announce that Norwegian vocalist Jørn Lande has returned to the band. ^[15]
• 2 November – Hymn to Life – Entr'acte, the autobiography of former Stratovarius member Timo Tolkki, is published through Goldenworks Ltd./Blacksmith Ltd. ^[16]
• 11 November – Mikkel Sandager, Morten Sandager and Mike Park announce that they are leaving Danish band Mercenary. ^[17]
• 11 December – Performers at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo include Amadou & Mariam, Alexander Rybak, Donna Summer, Lang Lang and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra. ^[18]
• 22 December – Per Eriksson and Niklas Sandin join Katatonia after the Norrman brothers leave the band. ^[19]

New works

• Kalevi Aho – String Quintet Hommage à Schubert ^[20]
• Anders Eliasson – Concerto per violino, viola ed orchestra da camera: dubbelkonsert för violin, viola och kammarorkester (Concerto for Violin, Viola and Orchestra: Double Concerto for Violin, Viola and Chamber Orchestra [2 Horns, 2 Oboes und Strings]) ^[21]
• Ilkka Kuusisto – Taipaleenjoki ^[22]
• Magnus Lindberg – Graffiti, for chorus and orchestra ^[23]
• Frederik Magle – Symphonic suite Cantabile ^[13]
• Einojuhani Rautavaara – Towards the Horizon (second cello concerto) ^[24]
• Esa-Pekka Salonen – Violin Concerto ^[25]
• Marie Samuelsson – Sjörök under Stockholms broar (Sea smoke under Stockholms bridges), for string quartet ^[26]

Film scores and incidental music

• Kristian Eidnes Andersen – Antichrist ^[27]
• Jacob Groth – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ^[28]

Albums released

January

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
23	Sirenia	The 13th Floor	Nuclear Blast Records	Partly recorded in the US	[29]
30	Deathstars	Night Electric Night	Nuclear Blast		[30]

February

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
3	This Ending	Dead Harvest	Metal Blade		[31]
25	Syster Sol	Dömd att bli bedömd	Rudeboy Records		[32]
27	Arch Enemy	Manifesto of Arch Enemy	Century Media Records	Compilation album	[33]

March

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
11	Nightwish	Made in Hong Kong (And in Various Other Places)	Spinefarm, Roadrunner, Nuclear Blast	Live album	[34] 31 March 2009 (US)
	Dark the Suns	All Ends in Silence	Firebox Records		[35]

April

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
9	Beherit	Engram	Spinefarm Records		[36]
15	Ajattara	Noitumaa	Ranka Recordings		[37]
21	Bloodbound	Tabula Rasa	Blistering Records		[38]
27	Unanimated	In the Light of Darkness	Regain Records	First album after a ten-year break	[39]

May

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
6	Amoral	Show Your Colors	Spinefarm	First album with Ari Koivunen	[40]
13	Amberian Dawn	The Clouds of Northland Thunder	KHY Suomen Musiikki		[41]
29	Alexander Rybak	Fairytales	EMI	Debut album	[42]

June

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
16	Madder Mortem	Eight Ways	Peaceville Records		[43]
24	Elias Viljanen	Fire-Hearted	Spinefarm Records		[44]

July

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
29	Pantheon I	Worlds I Create	Candlelight Records		[45]

August

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
28	Jorn	Dukebox	AFM Records	Compilation of tracks from Jørn Lande's solo albums	[46]

September

Day	Artist	Album	Label	Notes	Ref.
7	Solveig Slettahjell & Slow Motion Orchestra	Tarpan Seasons	Universal Music Group		[47]
22	Children of Bodom	Skeletons in the Closet	Spinefarm Records	Compilation album	[48]
25	Basshunter	Bass Generation	Warner Music Sweden		[49]

October

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
2	Scar Symmetry	Dark Matter Dimensions	Nuclear Blast	First album without Christian Älvestam	[50]
14	Decadence	Chargepoint	Universal		[51]
	Waltari	Below Zero	Stay Heavy Records		[52]
12	Tord Gustavsen Ensemble	Restored, Returned	ECM Records	Featuring Kristin Asbjørnsen, Tore Brunborg, Mats Eilertsen and Jarle Vespestad	[53]

November

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
2	Katatonia	Night Is the New Day	Peaceville Records		[54]

December

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
9	Yngwie Malmsteen	High Impact	Rising Force Records	Compilation album	[55]

Deaths

• 8 January – Björn Haugan, 66, Swedish-born Norwegian operatic tenor (born 1942). ^[56]
• 31 January – Erland von Koch, 98, Swedish composer ^[57]
• 10 February – Eva Gustavson, 91, Norwegian operatic contralto ^[58]
• 18 February – Miika Tenkula, 34, rock guitarist and songwriter (heart attack) ^[59]
• 3 March – Flemming Flindt, 72, Danish choreographer ^[60]
• 11 March – Lars Erstrand, Swedish vibraphonist ^[61]
• 26 March – Arne Bendiksen, 82, Norway's "father of pop" ^[62]
• 11 April – Gerda Gilboe, 94, Danish actress and singer ^[63]
• 1 May – Torstein Grythe, 90, Norwegian choirmaster ^[64]
• 21 July – Marcel Jacob, 45, Swedish rock musician (suicide) ^[65]
• 20 November – Elisabeth Söderström, 82, Swedish singer ^[66]
• 21 November – Gerhard Aspheim, 79, Norwegian trombonist ^[67]

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