Music of Today: Víkingur Ólafsson

Programme

A chance to hear the complete artistic range of pianist Víkingur Ólafsson in a programme of enticing works for piano and small ensemble.

Ólafsson first rose to prominence through his first two acclaimed albums, showcasing the music of Philip Glass and JS Bach respectively. This bold statement presenting the contemporary and the traditional has served to build up a career of immense versatility and an arresting style.

At the heart of tonight’s programme lies Bent Sørensen’s Papillons trilogy. Spun out of Sørensen’s veiled, dreamy musical voice, the evocative world of this piece for piano quintet flows through shifting soundscapes of nostalgia, fear and solitude, but also a sense of fragile optimism. A single seven-movement part for the piano across each of the three pieces is presented in new contexts each time by the ensemble, creating a beautiful kaleidoscopic effect.

And in a breathing space between each of Sørensen’s pieces, experience new musical miniatures by British composer Edmund Finnis.