Danefæ / The Excavation

Danefæ is a Danish six-episode drama, directed by Dagur Kári and created by writer Lars K. Andersen. Produced by Uma Film (producers Stinna Lassen & Claudia Saginario), the series premiered on 15 June 2025 on TV 2 / TV 2 Play.

The story follows Ester (Lene Maria Christensen) and Michael (Anders W. Berthelsen), a married couple who are both archaeologists. Michael now leads the National Museum and is preparing a grand Harald Blåtand exhibition; Ester works at a smaller Viking museum and hopes for funding for her own research. When Ester discovers evidence of a potentially history-altering murder mystery from the Viking Age — just as Michael has secured funding that Ester applied for — their marriage, professional identities, and notions of legacy are thrown into crisis.

Working on the score for this Danish hit TV series was a real pleasure and challenge at the same time. In a way we had to invent new kind of TVgenre (archeological marriage drama?) that called upon a fresh approach to the music. The director and producers wanted to avoid the usual clichés of crime and drama, while still underlining the suspenseful elements of the story — particularly Ester’s emotional journey and the excavation scenes where fateful discoveries take place.

Collaborating closely with Dagur Kári — who has often composed the scores for his own films — we agreed on a sonic world built from extremely close-miked, sparse acoustic instrumentation and organic, ambient textures. The music is usually restrained and understated, never overstating the drama, but allowed to open up into broader melodic themes at key moments.