Opus 109 (Beethoven | Bach | Schubert) Víkingur Ólafsson

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): The Well-Tempered Clavier I:
• 1 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier I: Prelude No. 9 in E Major, BWV 854 01:44
• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Piano Sonata No. 27 in E Minor, Op. 90:
• 2 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 27 in E Minor, Op. 90: I. Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck 05:43
• 3 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 27 in E Minor, Op. 90: II. Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorgetragen 07:16
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830:
• 4 Bach: Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: I. Toccata 08:06
• 5 Bach: Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: II. Allemande 03:20
• 6 Bach: Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: III. Corrente 04:06
• 7 Bach: Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: IV. Air 01:17
• 8 Bach: Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: V. Sarabande 07:41
• 9 Bach: Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: VI. Tempo di Gavotta 01:56
• 10 Bach: Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: VII. Gigue 02:33
• Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828): Piano Sonata No. 6 in E Minor, D. 566:
• 11 Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 6 in E Minor, D. 566: I. Moderato 04:46
• 12 Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 6 in E Minor, D. 566: II. Allegretto 05:46
• Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109:
• 13 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109: I. Vivace ma non troppo – Adagio espressivo 03:59
• 14 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109: II. Prestissimo 02:23
• 15 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109: III. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo 12:49
• Johann Sebastian Bach: French Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817:
• 16 Bach: French Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817: III. Sarabande 02:37
• Ludwig van Beethoven. Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109:
• 17 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109: III. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo (Edit) 02:20
• Total Runtime 01:18:22

Info for Opus 109 (Beethoven | Bach | Schubert)

The Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson is one of the most listened-to classical artists of our time.

Recent GRAMMY®-winner Víkingur Ólafsson announces his new upcoming album Opus 109. At the heart of the project is Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109, a masterpiece of the composer’s late period, which Víkingur places in an illuminating and musically thrilling temporal dialogue, tracing the lineages that converge on this beloved beacon of the piano literature.

While the pianist considers Bach as a vital precursor to Op. 109, represented on the album by three works including the monumental Partita No. 6, he also feels that Beethoven’s own Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90 acted not only as a precursor of Op. 109 but also as a direct influence on Schubert, in particular his early two-movement Sonata in E minor, D. 566.

These two Beethoven and single Schubert sonatas form the conceptual spine of the programme. Yet Ólafsson notes that both composers confront Bach “as every great composer must.” The whole album is in the key realm of E, both major and minor modes, which for the pianist, who has synaesthesia, makes it full of lush and vibrant shades of green.

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.