Hans Appelqvist
Hans Appelqvist is a multifaceted artist who has garnered significant recognition for his work as a composer and musician. His career in music dates back to the early 2000s, where he first began releasing music. Over the past decade, he has expanded his artistic pursuits by venturing into composing music for film and stage productions, of which have been screened at prominent festivals such as Sundance, Cannes, and Berlinale.
Appelqvist´s sound world brings together the unexpected, bridging the gap between eastern and western orchestral techniques with textures of jazz, folk, pop and electronic music. His music often features intricate layers of electronics and sampling techniques, adding unconventional instruments in odd time signatures, which overall creates an imaginative and innovative sound world.
Commissioned project highlights the past few years include the score for Andreas Nilsson’s “Claudio’s Song“, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the acclaimed animated short film “The Burden” by Niki Lindroth von Bahr. He also created the score to “Ricardo et la Peinture“, a Feature Doc directed by legendary filmmaker Barbet Schroeder, and Guldbagge-nominated Feature Doc “LENA” by Isabel Andersson. In 2019 Appelqvist was awarded the esteemed Best Original Score Award at the 2019 IDA Awards Ceremony at The Paramount Studio in Los Angeles for his work on Marcus Lindeen’s film “The Raft“.
Hans has continued to release albums, all of which have received critical acclaim. Notably, his second full-length album was honored with the prestigious Swedish Radio P3 Gold award for best pop album, a recognition akin to a Grammy Award.
His diverse range of talents as a composer have also been heavily utilized in theatre productions. He has collaborated with various directors and theatre companies, creating captivating scores for numerous plays, dance performances, and radio dramas. His work in this field includes notable productions such as The Royal Dramatic Theatre’s “Askungen“, Riksteatern’s “Ex“, directed by Marius von Mayenburg, and French theatre Comédie de Caen‘s “L’Aventure invisible” directed by Marcus Lindeen.
Highlights reel
Selected credits
Ricardo et la Peinture (2023)
Feature Doc
Dir. Barbet Schroeder
Claudio’s Song (2023)
Short film
Dir. Andreas Nilsson
LENA
Feature Doc
Dir. Isabel Andersson
You Are the Days to Come (2020)
Feature Doc
Dir. Ronja Yu
Something to Remember (2019)
Animated Short
Dir. Niki Lindroth von Bahr
Fraemling (2019)
Feature Doc
Dir. Mikel Cee Karlsson
The Raft (2018)
Feature Doc
Dir. Marcus Lindeen
The Burden (2017)
Animated short
Dir. Niki Lindroth von Bahr
Dear Director (2015)
Short
Dir. Marcus Lindeen
Every Face Has A Name (2015)
Feature Doc
Dir. Magnus Gertten
German Shepard (2014)
Animated short
Dir. Nils Bergendal
Accidentes Gloriosos (2011)
Feature
Dir. Marcus Lindeen & Mauro Andrizzi
Discography
2023
In the Basement of Apollo Hall, solo album
2019
Fraemling (Original Soundtrack)
2018
The Raft (Original Soundtrack)
2017
Swimming Pool, solo album
2011
Sjunga slutet nu, solo album
2006
Naima, solo album
2004
Bremort, solo album
2002
Tonefilm, solo album