Belonging to the younger generation of Icelandic composers, Thordur Magnusson bears the fresh and audacious qualities of his generation, whilst unafraid to maintain ties with tradition, with his Icelandic as well as international musical heritage. Magnusson feels that the word traditional is in itself too negatively connoted in the world of modern music and that many composers shy away from any association with it and with the past, in their search for something absolutely new. He however welcomes making use of tradition and believes in good craftsmanship and that conventional writing for instruments can be a springboard for truly new sounds and challenging musical experience.