Frans Bak (born 7 February 1958 Copenhagen, Denmark) is a Danish composer, choral conductor, saxophonist, and pianist. He is a graduate of the Royal Danish Academy of Music and has worked as a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

performer and composer of

film music A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

. In 1994, he founded the composer's association ''Den 3. Vej''. He plays saxophone, keyboards, and piano.

Career

Bak was a member of the bands Blast, Buztop, Santa Cruz, Det Glatte Lag, and Jazzgruppe 90. He was the leader of a quartet and of a big band that included

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and

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. He recorded with Hans Ulrik on the album ''Fusion''. He wrote the score for the Danish television series '' Forbrydelsen'' and American remake, '' The Killing'' on

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

. He worked on '' Lilyhammer'' on

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starring

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, the British adaption of the

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novel '' Thirteen Steps Down'' and in 2015 the first series of ''Doctor Foster'' for the BBC. Bak has scored commercials, short films, and feature films, including three

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-nominated shorts: ''Ernst & The Light'', ''Sweethearts?'', and '' Helmer & Son''. In 2016 Bak released the album Sound of North which featured new compositions plus selections from The Killing. He went on to perform the album live in Beijing's Danish Cultural Centre in March 2017. In 2020 Bak released the album PIANO. He discovered the piano he learned to play on as a child in a Copenhagen music shop window for sale, and bought it. Playing on this piano again, he revisited his childhood years and his love of creating simple and beautiful piano melodies.

Discography

* ''Hymn to the Rainbow'' (L+R, 1992) * ''Live in Copenhagen'' (Olufsen, 1993) * ''Natsange'' (Stunt, 1999) * ''Bossa Nuts'' (Stunt, 2011) * ''The Killing'' (Decca, 2012) *''Doctor Foster OST'' (Drama Republic, 2015) * ''The Sound of North'' (Mercury Classics, 2016) * ''Conspiracy of Silence OST'' (Spinnup, 2018) *''Piano'' (Dharma Records, 2020)

Film scores

* '' Huller i suppen'' (1988) * '' Lad isbjørnene danse'' (1990) * ''Casanova'' (1990) * ''Karlsvognen'' (1992) * ''Sidste time'' (1995) * ''Operation Cobra'' (1995) * ''Davids bog'' (1996) * ''Albert'' (1998) * ''Hatten i skyggen'' (2002) * '' Forbrydelsen'' (2007) * ''Forbrydelsen II'' (2009) * '' Den som dræber'' (2011) * '' The Killing'' (2011) * '' Lilyhammer'' (2011) * ''Min søsters børn alene hjemme'' (2012) * '' The Killing season 2'' (2012) * '' Thirteen Steps Down'' (2012)

References

External links

*
Silvana Malta & Frans Bak - Bossa Nuts (Sundance Music)
* 1958 births Living people 21st-century Danish male musicians 21st-century Danish pianists 21st-century Danish saxophonists Danish film score composers Danish jazz pianists Danish male composers Danish male film score composers Male jazz musicians Male jazz pianists Male saxophonists {{Denmark-composer-stub