Bach: Goldberg Variations

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With the exception of the ‘Black Pearl’ variation, which lasts almost ten minutes, this is one of the fastest sets I have ever heard, yet it’s also one of the most enjoyable. Ólafsson draws on... — BBC Music Magazine, December 2023, 5 out of 5 stars (Performance) / 4 out of 5 stars (Recording) More…

Release Date: 6th Oct 2023
Catalogue No: 4864553
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Length: 73 minutes

Presto Recording of the Week

6th October 2023
International Classical Music Awards

2024

Nominated - Baroque Instrumental
Presto Recordings of the Year

Winner 2023
Sunday Times

10 Best Classical Albums of 2023
Financial Times

Best Classical Albums of 2023

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Bach, J S: Goldberg Variations, BWV988

Work length1:13:54

$35.20

$48.00

$65.60

Víkingur Ólafsson (piano)
Recorded: 2023-04
Recording Venue: Norðurljós Hall, Harpa Concert House, Reykjavík

Aria

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Var. 1

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Var. 2

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Var. 3

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Var. 20

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Var. 23

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Var. 24

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Var. 30

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Aria da Capo

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Recording of the Week, A slow-brewed Goldberg Variations from Víkingur Ólafsson

6th October 2023

The Icelandic pianist presents the results of twenty-five years of thoughtful preparation, in a recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations that combines control and spontaneity, limpid gentleness and furious virtuosic energy.

Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson has made a profound impact with his remarkable combination of highest level musicianship and visionary programmes. His recordings for Deutsche Grammophon – Philip Glass Piano Works (2017), Johann Sebastian Bach (2018), Debussy Rameau (2020), Mozart & Contemporaries (2021) and From Afar (2022) – have captured the public and critical imagination. In October 2023, Ólafsson releases his anticipated new album on Deutsche Grammophon of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Ólafsson has dedicated his entire 2023-24 season to a Goldberg Variations world tour, performing the work across six continents throughout the year. He brings 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, Mupa Budapest, KKL Luzern and Alte Oper Frankfurt, to name a few.

Reviews

December 2023

With the exception of the ‘Black Pearl’ variation, which lasts almost ten minutes, this is one of the fastest sets I have ever heard, yet it’s also one of the most enjoyable. Ólafsson draws on a refined palette and his touch – always flawlessly accurate – is as light as a feather. The microcosms are clearly characterised, yet, as the kaleidoscope turns, the effect is seamless.

13th October 2023

Bach’s part-writing comes across with exceptional clarity and Ólafsson is rarely tempted to pull the phrasing about for expressive effect, as some of his rivals are. Here is a performance of the Goldberg Variations that is very much Ólafsson’s own, played with authority, variety of touch and mood, and plain joy.

14th December 2023

This project, long in the making, has resulted in a striking performance with much of the boldly projected public showpiece about it, but the sometimes racing speeds are matched by Ólafsson’s clarity of articulation and intellectual grip.

6th October 2023

Ólafsson has been nourishing, revising and even overhauling his relationship with this music since the ‘90s. That humility, and ability to critically reassess one’s approach and course-correct, makes the end result serious, sincere and authentic. A musician of this calibre, taking this much time to get his approach right before putting finger to keyboard? It’s absolutely not to be missed.

3rd December 2023

This is my record of the year. In the Icelandic pianist’s hands, Bach’s progression through aria and 30 variations becomes a metaphor for human experience. Personal yet universal, faithful yet radical, technically scintillating and emotionally uplifting, it’s a journey to the centre of the soul.

14th October 2023

Ólafsson’s interpretation is outstanding. He plays the same Steinway model D he chose for his Bach (2018) and Debussy/Rameau discs. Supple playing, flexibility in speed and mood, contrapuntal clarity, a singing bass line, an abundance of expression but no intrusive mannerisms: all make this a Goldbergs for repeated listening.

4th October 2023

Ólafsson’s phrasing is so graceful, his articulation playful yet exact. The effect is utterly beguiling...If any quality dominates the interpretation of this keyboard masterwork, I’d say it was Ólafsson’s highlighting of Bach’s good humour as the theme is ingeniously twisted this way and that. This really is a refreshing release.

Limelight Magazine 2nd October 2023

That it’s taken a quarter century or so for Ólafsson to get here speaks to his seriousness and humility. And it’s those qualities – along with, it has to be said, an impish playfulness – which stand out here. Indeed, anything Ólafsson does is never less than interesting.

The Spectator 14th October 2023

Ólafsson’s Goldbergs begin by passing a big test: he doesn’t moon over the Aria, but just plays it. And then he piles one triumph on top of another. He can bring out the structural logic of the most virtuosic variations by throwing tiny spotlights over shifts in harmony at gravity-defying speed...So I’ll go out on a limb and say that the Goldberg crown has settled on a new head.

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Bach: Goldberg Variations

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Recording of the Week, A slow-brewed Goldberg Variations from Víkingur Ólafsson

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Bach: Goldberg Variations

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