Ólafsson’s Bach: A personal journey

This past weekend, Víkingur Ólafsson won the Grammy Award for his album dedicated to Bach’s Goldberg Variations, released in late 2023. But this recording was more than just another project in his career—Ólafsson devoted the entire 2023-24 season to performing this monumental work live around the world.
His connection with Bach continued with Continuum, a newly released EP featuring six fresh interpretations of the composer’s works—four arranged by Ólafsson himself and two by other musicians.
“I think you can almost find anything that there is in music in Bach’s music,” says Ólafsson. “I actually want to listen to other people play Bach because it tells me very much about how they listen to music, sort of who they are as musicians.”
For this week’s Moto Recs, we highlight the Aria from the Goldberg Variations—the gateway to the thirty variations that follow.

OVERVIEW
Víkingur Ólafsson is an Icelandic pianist whose repertoire spans a wide range of classical and contemporary music. He has performed with major orchestras and at prominent festivals around the world. Ólafsson’s musical interests are broad, from his work on Bach’s Goldberg Variations to his explorations of modern composers and their works. His recordings reflect his careful approach to both well-known and lesser-performed pieces. Ólafsson has been involved in multiple projects that blend live performance with studio work. In addition to his solo performances, he has made a number of recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, focusing on a variety of composers. His approach is defined by a commitment to both technique and thoughtful interpretation, often arranging works to reflect his own musical perspective.

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