Víkingur Ólafsson Performs Bach’s Goldberg Variations by Bach, J. S., Da (2024/2024), Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia

Since bursting onto the international scene in 2017, Ólafsson has taken the world by storm, combining a contemporary sensibility with flawless technique. Bach’s Goldberg Variations are gorgeously enigmatic musical gems, and Ólafsson makes them sparkle. No matter how many times you turn this work over, how many times you hold it up to the light, there’s always more to discover. A gentle theme opens the work, followed by thirty short variations, each overflowing with experimentation and daring. A universe of musical possibility. The finale is marked by a return to the beginning. After a journey of transformations, textures and harmonies, we are the ones who have arrived alongside the artist. It’s a breathtaking conclusion to a remarkable experience with a pianist of supreme musical intelligence and style.