Movement I

Matti Bye

Matti Bye is a Swedish composer, pianist and award-winning film composer whose music bridges contemporary classical, modern classical, ambient piano and cinematic sound art. Internationally acclaimed for his emotionally rich piano works and pioneering live scores for silent films, Bye has composed music for more than fifty film and television productions, including Young Royals (Netflix), The Breakthrough (Netflix), Tove, Maria Larssons Eviga Ögonblick and Un Poeta, winner of the Jury Prize at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.

Drawing inspiration from Debussy, Ravel, Symbolist art, analogue tape techniques and experimental music, Bye creates immersive sound worlds where piano, resonance and silence become equal musical voices. His distinctive style combines impressionistic harmony, cinematic storytelling and subtle electronic textures, resulting in deeply atmospheric works that transcend traditional classical composition.

His music has been presented at renowned venues and festivals including MoMA (New York), Wiener Konzerthaus, Berlin Atonal, Rewire Festival, Cinema Ritrovato, the Louis Vuitton Foundation and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.

Alongside an extensive catalogue of solo recordings, Matti Bye collaborates with artists across contemporary classical, jazz and experimental music, including the Finnish-Swedish trio Kiri Ra! with Lau Nau and Linda Fredriksson.

His 2026 album The Length Between Dusk and Dawn in Minutes – Psychedelic Piano Part I, released on Neue Meister, marks a new artistic chapter. Inspired by French Impressionism, 1960s psychedelia and analogue recording techniques, the album reimagines the piano as an immersive world of resonance, atmosphere and discovery. Delicate Bösendorfer piano, tape echoes and subtle live electronics merge into a luminous sonic landscape that further establishes Matti Bye as one of Scandinavia's most distinctive voices in contemporary piano music.