Al-Monitor |�Saeed Jalili: In December, when acclaimed Icelandic composer Olafur�Arnalds�stood alongside�his band�on a Tehran�stage, lined�with Persian carpet and decorated with candles, things felt �strange and surreal.�


Arnalds�had no idea that he had such a large fan base�in Iran�� so large that all his December concerts in the country sold out.�Arnalds�sat down with Al-Monitor for an interview before�his performance at Tehran's central Andisheh Hall.�Just an hour later he would change from�his white T-shirt into a casual button-down shirt and take the stage with his band�� cellist Hallgrimur Jonas Jensson and violinist Viktor Orri Arnason�� for his fifth and final Tehran show, before heading to the southern city of�Shiraz for another concert.

Soon, the empty Tehran venue was filled with young music lovers�listening to the band's�tranquil�piano tunes and lingering string music.

�It�s a good audience to play for," said Arnalds.�"They are very attentive and silent and respectful in the concert. � They were all so happy to be here and I could feel that. They were very much listening and they�re really there � 100%.�


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