Home » Jazz Musicians » Víkingur Ólafsson

Víkingur Ólafsson

Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson’s remarkable originality and powerful musical conviction have seen him, in just a few years, take the music world by storm to become one of the most sought-after artists of today.

Ólafsson made an unforgettable impact with the release of his two landmark albums, Philip Glass Piano Works and Johann Sebastian Bach on Deutsche Grammophon, for whom he is an exclusive recording artist. Praised for revealing new possibilities within the music, Johann Sebastian Bach – featuring diverse original compositions and transcriptions, including Ólafsson’s own –deeply resonated with audiences and critics around the world. It appeared in multiple best albums of the year lists, was named one of the greatest ever Bach recordings in Gramophone, and won Best Instrumental and overall Album of the Year at the BBC Music Magazine Awards 2019.

Ólafsson’s previous album, Philip Glass Piano Works was an equal success and saw him named “Iceland’s Glenn Gould” by the New York Times and “breathtakingly brilliant pianist” by Gramophone, while Le Monde heralded the pianist’s “volcanic temperament, great virtuosity, taste for challenges”. Ólafsson’s anticipated next album on Deutsche Grammophon will be launched in the 2019/20 season.

With a captivating ability to communicate both on and off-stage, Ólafsson’s coming seasons are marked by a series of high-profile international artist residencies at some of the world’s top concert halls. This begins in 2019/20 at the Konzerthaus Berlin with fourteen performances over eleven different projects, playing concertos by Thomas Adès, Schumann, Daníel Bjarnason and Mozart, two solo recitals and chamber programmes with the likes of Martin Fröst and Florian Boesch.

This season will see Ólafsson give the French première of John Adams’ Piano Concerto No.2 with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and also perform the work with Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra – both with Adams conducting, as well as concerts with: Konzerthausorchester Berlin and Christoph Eschenbach; Hallé and Klaus Mäkelä; Hong Kong Philharmonic and Jaap van Zweden; Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra with Ed Gardner; San Diego Symphony with Rafael Payare; and Iceland Symphony Orchestra with Daníel Bjarnason. Ólafsson will also give solo recitals at Wiener Konzerthaus, Luzern Festival, Konzerthaus Berlin, Gothenburg Concert Hall and across Japan for a recital tour.

Tags

12
Album Review

Víkingur Ólafsson: Debussy • Rameau

Read "Debussy • Rameau" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson had a recording career before signing with the German monolithe Deutsche Grammophon, having released three recordings for his own label, Dirrindí. In 2016, Ólafsson signed with DG, releasing the next year Philip Glass -Piano Works. It was an interesting debut for the august label, featuring Philip Glass's Études, “Opening" from Glassworks, and a surprise rework of Glassworks by Dutch pianist and composer, Christian Badzura. Ólafsson fashions himself a progressive traditionalist, intensely focused on the music and ...

9
Interview

Vikingur Olafsson: Music Can Take Us To A Better Place

Read "Vikingur Olafsson: Music Can Take Us To A Better Place" reviewed by Nenad Georgievski


The Icelandic classical pianist Vikingur Olafsson has built an impressive international career. Sought after by top orchestras and major concert venues worldwide, his records are published by the renowned Deutsche Gramophone. Olafsson's playing impresses with its brilliance, projection and exactitude, eliciting an impressive range and diversity of colors from his piano. On the other hand, Olafsson also refuses to be pinned down, as evidenced by the diversity of his recorded output. He has explored the music of composers like Philip ...

8
Album Review

Víkingur Ólafsson: J.S. Bach Works & Reworks

Read "J.S. Bach Works & Reworks" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson has found himself soaked to the skin in accolades in 2019. It all began auspiciously enough with the pianist with Ólafsson beginning piano early, taught by his mother, a music teacher. Ólafsson eventually attended and matriculated from the Juilliard School in New York, with a Bachelor's and Master's degrees directed by Jerome Lowenthal and Robert McDonald. The pianist went on to blaze and international trial with concerts and recitals. He released three recordings on his own ...

3
Album Review

Víkingur Ólafsson: Philip Glass – Piano Works

Read "Philip Glass – Piano Works" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Captain Obvious once said, “The appeal of Philip Glass' music is its simplicity." The minimalist school, which includes Glass, as well as La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Steve Reich, produces music that uses limited or minimal musical materials, or as defined by composer Tom Johnson, as ..."any music that works with limited or minimal materials: pieces that use only a few notes, pieces that use only a few words of text, or pieces written for very limited instruments, such ...

Read more articles

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Debussy • Rameau

Deutsche Grammophon
2020

buy

J.S. Bach Works &...

Deutsche Grammophon
2019

buy

Philip Glass –...

Deutsche Grammophon
2017

buy

Videos

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.