2012 in Scandinavian music

The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in Scandinavian music in 2012.

Events

• 31 March
  • Norway's Sigrid Moldestad is awarded the Vossajazzprisen for 2012. ^[1]
  • Norwegian jazz musician and composer Karl Seglem performs the commissioned work Som Spor at Vossajazz. ^[2]
• 5 May – Norwegian trumpeter Mathias Eick and his quintet receive the BMW Welt Jazz Award 2012. ^[3]
• 6 May – Swedish singer Loreen wins the 57th annual Eurovision Song Contest, held in Baku, Azerbaijan. ^[4]
• 6 June – The 20th Sweden Rock Festival opens in Norje, running until 9 June). ^[5]
• 25 June – Peter Wichers leaves the band Soilwork for a second time. ^[6]
• 24 September – Swedish band Dark Funeral appear in Washington DC, United States, making their first major appearance with their new vocalist Nachtgarm. ^[7] He would leave the band after less than a year.
• 1 October – Anette Olzon leaves the band Nightwish. ^[8]
• 9 November – Finnish band Amberian Dawn announce the departure of singer Heidi Parviainen, drummer Heikki Saari and guitarist Kasperi Heikkinen. ^[9]
• 21 December – Päivi "Capri" Virkkunen is announced as the new vocalist of Amberian Dawn. ^[10]

New works

• Hans Abrahamsen – String Quartet No. 4 ^[11]
• Magnus Lindberg – Acequia Madre, for clarinet and piano ^[12]
• Kaija Saariaho – Circle Map ^[13]

Film and television music

• Hildur Guðnadóttir – Astro: An Urban Fable in a Magical Rio de Janeiro ^[14]
• Imaginaerum (released 23 November), based on Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish's seventh studio album of the same name, co-written by the band's keyboardist and songwriter Tuomas Holopainen. ^[15]

Albums released

January

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
9	Todd Terje	It's the Arps	Olsen Records	EP	[16]
27	Tord Gustavsen Quartet	The Well	AFM Records		[17]
	Stian Omenås	Klangkammer 1			[18]

February

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
1	Swallow the Sun	Emerald Forest and the Blackbird	Spinefarm Records		[19]
10	Dunderbeist	Black Arts & Crooked Tails			[20]
	Engel	Songs for the Dead		EP	[21]
13	Coldworker	The Doomsayer's Call	Listenable Records	Final album before 2013 breakup	[22]
14	Avatar	Black Waltz	eOne Music		[23]
15	Soen	Cognitive	Spinefarm Records	Debut album	[24]

March

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
23	Aura Noir	Out to Die			[25]
26	Borknagar	Urd	High Roller Records / Indie Recordings		[26]
	Naglfar	Téras	Century Media Records	Features Dirk Verbeuren as a session musician	[27]
30	Atrocity	Die Gottlosen Jahre		Double live DVD	[28]

April

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
18	In Mourning	The Weight of Oceans	Spinefarm Records	Produced by Jonas Kjellgren	[29]
	Verjnuarmu	Pimmeyvven Ruhtinas	Universal Music		[30]
23	Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra	Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7; Karelia Suite	Decca Records, Deutsche Grammophon	Conducted by Neeme Järvi	[31]

May

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
7	Storm Corrosion	Storm Corrosion	Roadrunner Records	Collaboration between Mikael Åkerfeldt and Steven Wilson	[32]

June

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
1	Circus Maximus	Nine	Frontiers Records		[33]
	Jorn	Bring Heavy Rock to the Land	Frontiers Records		[34]

July

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
23	Zonaria	Arrival of the Red Sun	Listenable Records		[35]

August

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
24	Tarja Turunen	Act I : Live in Rosario	earMUSIC	Live album recorded at El Círculo Theatre in Rosario, Argentina	[36]
	Trollfest	Brumlebassen			[37]
27	Ensiferum	Unsung Heroes			[38]
	Grave	Endless Procession of Souls	Century Media Records		[39]
	Katatonia	Dead End Kings	Peaceville Records		[40]

September

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
7	Elephant9, with Reine Fiske	Atlantis	Rune Grammofon		[41]

October

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
22	Dark Tranquillity	Zero Distance	Century Media Records	EP	[42]
26	Skálmöld	Börn Loka	Napalm Records	Based on Norse mythology	[43]
30	Ragnarok	Malediction	Agonia Records		[44]

November

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
2	NonExist	From My Cold Dead Hands			[45]
	Moonlight	Lucifer's Rising	Impaled Records		[46]
	Tiamat	The Scarred People	Napalm Records		[47]

December

Day	Artist	Album	Label	Notes	Ref.
3	Basshunter	The Early Bedroom Sessions	Rush Hour	Compilation album	[48]
5	Yngwie Malmsteen	Spellbound	Rising Force		[49]
12	The Project Hate MCMXCIX	The Cadaverous Retaliation Agenda	Mouth of Belial Productions		[50]
21	The Unguided	InvaZion (EP)		EP	[51]

Deaths

• 1 January – Anders Frandsen, Danish singer and television presenter, 51 ^[52]
• 4 January – Totti Bergh, Norwegian jazz saxophonist, 76 ^[53]
• 13 February – Tommi Kristian "Tonmi" Lillman ("Otus"), Finnish drummer (Lordi), 38 ^[54]
• 22 February – Eivin One Pedersen, Norwegian jazz accordionist and pianist, 55 ^[55]
• 15 March – Edvard Hagerup Bull, Norwegian classical composer, 89 ^[56]
• 15 June – Rune Gustafsson, Swedish guitarist and composer, 78 ^[57]
• 8 October – John Tchicai, Danish saxophonist and composer, 76 ^[58]
• 15 October – Axel Borup-Jørgensen, Danish composer, 87 ^[59]
• 3 November
  • Anne-Lise Berntsen, Norwegian soprano, 69 ^[60]
  • Odd Børretzen, Norwegian author and folk singer, 85 ^[61]
• 15 November – Frode Thingnæs, Norwegian jazz musician, 72 ^[62]

References

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