Víkingur Ólafsson, piano

★★★★★
“Simply Miraculous Bach… As soon as the theme gets under way, we know great pleasures are in store. Ólafsson’s phrasing is so graceful, his articulation playful yet exact. The effect is utterly beguiling.”
—The Times, London

Critics can’t help but draw parallels between pianist Víkingur Ólafsson’s pristine, crystalline touch at the keyboard and the bracing landscapes of his native Iceland: light reflected on snow, mountainous vistas, sparkling Nordic waterfalls. Ólafsson’s recordings have been wildly popular internationally, winning both Album of the Year at the BBC Music Magazine Awards and Gramophone’s Artist of the Year in 2019, and more recent local performances have both impressed and delighted audiences here in the Bay Area. Known for both his imaginative interpretations and his engaging onstage banter, Ólafsson plays the complete set of Bach’s Goldberg Variations—his renditions praised by Bachtrack as “a complete show of mastery and virtuosity”—in his Cal Performances debut.

Major support for this performance is provided by The Bernard Osher Foundation.

This performance is made possible, in part, by Art Berliner and Marian Lever.