
VÍKINGUR ÓLAFSSON, piano
Hailed by The Economist in 2020 as the pianistic superstar who 'is revitalising Classical music', Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson has made a profound impact with his remarkable combination of musicianship at the highest level and visionary programmes. His recordings for Deutsche Grammophon – Philip Glass Piano Works (2017), Johann Sebastian Bach (2018), Debussy Rameau (2020), Mozart & Contemporaries (2021) From Afar (2022), and J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations (2023) – captured the public and critical imagination and have led to streams of over 600 million.
Ólafsson dedicated his entire 2023-24 season to a Goldberg Variations world tour, performing the work across six continents throughout the year, and bringing Bach’s masterpiece to major concert halls including London’s Southbank Centre, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Wiener Konzerthaus, Philharmonie de Paris, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, Harpa Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Walt Disney Hall, Sala São Paulo, Shanghai Symphony Hall, Tonhalle Zurich, Philharmonie Berlin, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, and the Alte Oper Frankfurt, to name but a few.
Now one of the most sought-after artists of today, Ólafsson’s multiple awards include CoScan’s International Nordic Person of the Year (2023), the Rolf Schock Prize for Music (2022), Gramophone magazine’s Artist of the Year (2019), Opus Klassik Solo Recording Instrumental (twice), Album of the Year at the BBC Music Magazine Awards (2019), and most recently, Ólafsson was presented with the Opus Klassik Instrumentalist of the Year award at the annual ceremony in Berlin. A captivating communicator both on and off stage, Ólafsson’s significant talent extends to broadcast, having presented several of his own series for television and radio. He was Artist in Residence for three months on BBC Radio 4’s flagship arts programme, Front Row, and broadcast live during lockdown from an empty Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík, reaching millions of listeners around the world.
