J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations Víkingur Ólafsson

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Goldberg Variations, BWV 988:
• 1 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria 04:08
• 2 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 1 01:30
• 3 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 2 01:25
• 4 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 3 01:50
• 5 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 4 00:56
• 6 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 5 01:11
• 7 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 6 01:08
• 8 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 7 02:12
• 9 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 8 01:37
• 10 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 9 01:36
• 11 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 10 01:32
• 12 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 11 01:40
• 13 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 12 01:52
• 14 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 13 04:06
• 15 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 14 02:02
• 16 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 15 05:37
• 17 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 16 02:40
• 18 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 17 01:55
• 19 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 18 01:27
• 20 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 19 01:07
• 21 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 20 01:49
• 22 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 21 03:15
• 23 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 22 01:16
• 24 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 23 01:54
• 25 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 24 02:48
• 26 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 25 09:48
• 27 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 26 01:43
• 28 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 27 01:31
• 29 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 28 02:04
• 30 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 29 01:47
• 31 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 30 01:56
• 32 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria da Capo 02:35
• Total Runtime 01:13:57

Info for J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations

"For 25 years I dreamed of recording this work," says Víkingur Ólafsson about Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations. Now the time has come and Ólafsson's extraordinary recording of this legendary piano work will be released on 6 October by Deutsche Grammophon. On this recording, the Icelandic artist once again lives up to his reputation as a profound and original interpreter of music and delights with an interpretation of the masterpiece that is as unusual as it is timeless.

Víkingur Ólafsson - creative artist and visionary

Víkingur Ólafsson is an exceptional phenomenon in the world of pianists and fascinates with his unique interpretations, his visionary concert programmes and his mature and devoted playing. Parallel to a great openness to contemporary music, Ólafsson has cultivated a particularly intimate relationship with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach for decades and has repeatedly explored the composer anew and intensively. The recording of the Goldberg Variations now resembles a milestone in Ólafsson's development to date and is an absolute highlight for the artist himself, which he is underlining with a year-long world tour featuring exclusively this programme.

The Goldberg Variations: a pianistic masterpiece

The Goldberg Variations are one of the most demanding works in the piano repertoire and represent a pinnacle of Baroque variation art. For Ólafsson, the pieces offer "unusually pianistic virtuoso music, examples of ingenious use of counterpoint and countless moments of sublime poetry, abstract contemplation and deep emotion - all in the immaculately designed architecture of formal perfection". The artist is particularly impressed by the infinite variety that Bach develops in the 30 variations above the simple harmonic framework - a variety that "organically, vividly and dynamically" captivates again and again.

Víkingur Ólafsson, piano

Víkingur Ólafsson
Possessing a rare combination of passionate musicality, explosive virtuosity and intellectual curiosity, Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson has won all the major prizes in his native country, including four Musician of the Year prizes at the Icelandic Music Awards as well as The Icelandic Optimism Prize.

Víkingur’s 2016/17 season includes performances with NDR Elbphilhamonie Orchester and Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen, tour with Orkester Norden (Lawrence Foster) and concerts with Iceland Symphony Orchestra (Yan Pascal Tortelier) and MDR Sinfonieorchester (Kristjan Järvi). Since February 2016 he has taken over from Martin Fröst as Artistic Director of Vinterfest in Sweden while continuing in the same role for the award winning Reykjavík Midsummer Music, which he founded in 2012. In recital he will make his debut at Wiener Konzerthaus, Konzerthaus Berlin, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Louisiana Museum for Modern Art Denmark, La Folle Journée Festival as well in Leipzig and at the Istanbul Music Festival.

Víkingur signed an exclusive agreement with Deutsche Grammophon in November 2016. His debut album for DG will feature the piano works of Philip Glass and is set to be released in time for the composer’s 80th birthday in January 2017. In 2015 Víkingur recorded solo works by Igor Stravinsky for the company’s complete works edition of the composer and before that, he released 3 albums on his own label, Dirrindí Music. The first two were solo discs; ‘Debut’, (showing “exceptional perception and depth of maturity,” said EPTA Journal) and ‘Chopin-Bach’ (prompting Piano News Magazine to say “Immense talent … you must listen to this young pianist!”). His third album was a double CD/DVD release of ‘Winterreise’ with bass Kristinn Sigmundsson, which won the Album of the Year award at the Icelandic Music Awards 2012.

Víkingur has premiered five piano concertos to date and worked with composers including Philip Glass, Mark Simpson and Daníel Bjarnason. He has collaborated with leading artists from diverse fields, such as Roman Signer, Lillevan and Yann Malka, and appeared at festivals such as Busoni and Transart (Bolzano), MITO SettembreMusica (Milano) and Nordic Cool (Washington DC). When it comes to his relationships with other musicians, Víkingur has worked with Sayaka Shoji, István Várdai, Martin Fröst, Pekka Kuusisto and Björk.

Away from the concert stage, Víkingur is the driving force behind numerous innovative musical projects. Most recently the classical music television series, Útúrdúr (Out-of-tune), produced for the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service in 2013-14, was broadcast to unanimous critical and public acclaim.

Víkingur grew up in Iceland where he studied with Erla Stefánsdóttir and Peter Máté. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal and Robert McDonald.

This album contains no booklet.