Rezital Vikingur Olafsson

Víkingur Ólafsson / Piano Recital

They are the pinnacle of the art of piano playing – walking around them, climbing them and absorbing them in all their facets can accompany a pianist’s life from beginning to end. At once massive and incredibly varied, Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations stand out as the lone peak in the world of variation works. Icelandic keyboard wizard Víkingur Ólafsson has dedicated his 2023/24 season entirely to the famous aria with its 30 variations. The audience was able to experience the brilliant start to the tour in the Laeiszhalle back in October – he is now coming to the Elbphilharmonie for the grand finale of his journey around the world with the Goldberg Variations.

Víkingur Ólafsson / Piano Recital

They are the pinnacle of the art of piano playing – walking around them, climbing them and absorbing them in all their facets can accompany a pianist’s life from beginning to end. At once massive and incredibly varied, Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations stand out as the lone peak in the world of variation works. Icelandic keyboard wizard Víkingur Ólafsson has dedicated his 2023/24 season entirely to the famous aria with its 30 variations. The audience was able to experience the brilliant start to the tour in the Laeiszhalle back in October – he is now coming to the Elbphilharmonie for the grand finale of his journey around the world with the Goldberg Variations.

Víkingur Ólafsson

Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson is currently one of the most acclaimed and sought-after pianists in the world. The New York Times coined him ”Iceland's Glenn Gould”, and his recordings are showered with five-star reviews. This season, he is the Artist-in-Residence at Konserthuset Stockholm.Following the success of Bach's Goldberg Variations, which he performed to a full house here at Konserthuset last season, he takes on another of classical music's great B's this season – Beethoven. At this solo recital, we hear Beethoven's late piano sonatas.Beethoven is never predictable, and in his final sonatas, he is reflective and melancholic, ecstatically passionate, humorous, and life-affirming; the music is like a whole life story. ”Beethoven's last three sonatas are a kind of testament”, says Víkingur Ólafsson.

Yuja Wang & Vikingur Ólafsson / Piano Recital

It would be hard to imagine a more contrasting pair: On the one hand, Víkingur Ólafsson – a rather introverted artist, reserved in demeanour, richly nuanced in his playing. On the other, Yuja Wang, whose demeanour is almost as spectacular as her sensational pianistic skills. What they both have in common: They are unimpressed by the opinions of others. And they are damn good. In this ProArte concert, the Chinese power woman and the Icelandic sound conjuror now unleash a veritable firework display of pianism. The backbone of their concert is formed by Franz Schubert’s F-minor Fantasy and Sergei Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances (originally: Fantastic Dances) – late works by the two composers that are almost like a life review. With short works by contemporary composers such as John Adams and Arvo Pärt, Wang and Ólafsson embed these two major works in an appealing new musical context.

London Philharmonic Orchestra / Víkingur Ólafsson / Edward Gardner

This man is unstoppable! After his fascinating journey around the world with Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Víkingur Ólafsson has set himself a programme of contrasts for this season: solitude and contemplation – a pianist alone with 88 keys in 88 concertos – is followed by big sounds, big orchestras, big emotions. Both piano concertos by Johannes Brahms accompany him and us through this season. The passionate first, which the young Brahms initially conceived as a symphony, kicks off the programme. Accordingly, the piano part is closely linked to the orchestral parts. It’s good to have such accomplished partners as the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Edward Gardner at your side! The British orchestra complements the programme with Bartók’s »The Miraculous Mandarin« and a work by its current composer-in-residence, the Cuban-American composer Tania León.

Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich / Víkingur Ólafsson / Paavo Järvi

Brahms times two is the motto this season for the exceptional Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson: after travelling around the world with Bach’s Goldberg Variations, this season he has taken on both of Johannes Brahms’ piano concertos – with different partners at his side. The opening concert with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in November will be followed in March by the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and the large-scale symphonic Second Piano Concerto. The orchestra brings Schumann’s »Rhenish« Symphony as a lively addition – a showpiece for the Swiss orchestra and its energetic chief conductor Paavo Järvi. You can hear in the cheerfully flowing sounds of this symphony the motivational boost that the move from Leipzig to Düsseldorf on the Rhine meant for the composer.

Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich / Víkingur Ólafsson / Paavo Järvi

Since the Elbphilharmonie opened, Estonian star conductor Paavo Järvi has been one of its permanent guests, enchanting Hamburg audiences at several concerts a year. Now the conductor of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen again comes to the Grand Hall with his second top orchestra, the venerable Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. They will be joined by Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson, who gave two brilliant renderings of Johann Sebastian Bach’s »Goldberg Variations« in Hamburg last season. On the programme is a new piano concerto by US composer John Adams, which was commissioned by the Elbphilharmonie among others. And the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich tackles two of the most famous modern orchestral pieces by György Ligeti and Witold Lutosławski, who skilfully combined folk music from Hungary and Poland with a thrilling orchestral sound in the 1950s.

Víkingur plays Brahms

Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson is one of the most acclaimed soloists in the classical music world. With his warm touch and passionate musicality, he attracts huge audiences. This season, he is the Artist-in-Residence at the Concert Hall.Here, we get to meet him in Brahms's magnificent first piano concerto. He returns on two more occasions during the season, first in a recital where he plays Beethoven's last three piano sonatas, and then with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Brahms's second piano concerto. For this first visit, it's Chief Conductor Ryan Bancroft who conducts.The concert opens with Anders Hillborg's dazzlingly elegant Sound Atlas. The glass harmonica – an instrument where fingers are rubbed on tuned glass bells – plays a significant role in the piece, contributing to the music's crystalline character. Additionally, we hear music by the Welsh pioneer Grace Williams. Her Four Illustrations for the Legend of Rhiannon is based on ancient Welsh tales.Read more about chief conductor Ryan Bancroft

Víkingur plays Brahms

Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson is one of the most acclaimed soloists in the classical music world. With his warm touch and passionate musicality, he attracts huge audiences. This season, he is the Artist-in-Residence at the Concert Hall.Here, we get to meet him in Brahms's magnificent first piano concerto. He returns on two more occasions during the season, first in a recital where he plays Beethoven's last three piano sonatas, and then with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Brahms's second piano concerto. For this first visit, it's Chief Conductor Ryan Bancroft who conducts.The concert opens with Anders Hillborg's dazzlingly elegant Sound Atlas. The glass harmonica – an instrument where fingers are rubbed on tuned glass bells – plays a significant role in the piece, contributing to the music's crystalline character. Additionally, we hear music by the Welsh pioneer Grace Williams. Her Four Illustrations for the Legend of Rhiannon is based on ancient Welsh tales.Read more about chief conductor Ryan Bancroft

Shani, Ólafsson · Adams, Bernstein