Opus 109
Deutsche Grammophon, 2025
9/10
The Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson brings us works by Bach, Beethoven and Schubert, which are executed with unparalleled attention to detail.
Bach’s “Prelude in E Major BWV 854” opens with the melodic keys emitting much warmth and color via the meticulous delivery, and Beethoven’s “Piano Sonata No. 27 in E Minor, Op. 90” follows with the rich progression that exercise both firm and animated gestures.
In the middle, “Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830”, by Bach, moves swiftly and with much charm in its infectious energy, while Schubert’s “Piano Sonata No. 6 in E Minor, D. 566” offers a pensive bout that builds into dense playing that rumbles unpredictably.
Residing near the end, “Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109”, by Beethoven, is quite intricate, cinematic even and “French Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817” emits intimacy alongside the emotive keys of the soft exit thanks to Bach’s vision.
Ólafsson fleshes out a dialogue across the centuries with this superb solo piano performance, and like everything he’s done, it’s an enlightening and memorable program that warrants revisiting.
Travels well with: Víkingur Ólafsson- From Afar; Daniil Trifonov- BACH: The Art Of Life