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

## New works

* Hans Abrahamsen – String Quartet No. 4
* Magnus Lindberg – Acequia Madre, for clarinet and piano
* Kaija Saariaho – Circle Map

## Film and television music

* Hildur Guðnadóttir – Astro: An Urban Fable in a Magical Rio de Janeiro
* 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.

## Albums released
### January

| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes |
| 9 | Todd Terje | It's the Arps | Olsen Records | EP |
| 27 | Tord Gustavsen Quartet | The Well | AFM Records | |
| 27 | Stian Omenås | Klangkammer 1 | | |

### February

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

### March

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

### April

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

### May

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

### June

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

### July

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

### August

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

### September

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

### October

| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes |
| 22 | Dark Tranquillity | Zero Distance | Century Media Records | EP |
| 26 | Skálmöld | Börn Loka | Napalm Records | Based on Norse mythology |
| 30 | Ragnarok | Malediction | Agonia Records | |

### November

| Day | Album | Artist | Label |
| 2 | NonExist | From My Cold Dead Hands | |
| 2 | Moonlight | Lucifer's Rising | Impaled Records |
| 2 | Tiamat | The Scarred People | Napalm Records |

### December

| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes |
| 5 | Yngwie Malmsteen | Spellbound | Rising Force | |
| 12 | The Project Hate MCMXCIX | The Cadaverous Retaliation Agenda | Mouth of Belial Productions | |
| 21 | The Unguided | InvaZion (EP) | | EP |

## Deaths

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