The Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson is one of the classical music world's most noted soloists. With his warm touch and passionate musicianship, he attracts huge listeners, including 2.6 million listens on Spotify - every month - and his albums sell in large editions.
Víkingur Ólafsson has been praised for his interpretations of Rameau, Mozart and the music of the American minimalist Philip Glass, among others. When he visited Konserthuset Stockholm in the spring of 2022, then together with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, he played John Adams' piano concerto Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?
But the focus of Víkingur Ólafsson's playing is Johann Sebastian Bach's music in particular. At his first recital in the Konserthuset, he plays the famous Goldberg Variations, music that many associate with the cult-declared Canadian pianist Glenn Gould. With his extremely personal interpretations of Bach's music, it is not surprising that the New York Times described Víkingur Ólafsson as "Iceland's Glenn Gould".