Vikingur Olafsson: Colburn Celebrity Recital

The Icelandic megastar revisits selections from his 2020 recording of keyboard jewels, including Debussy’s impression of “Gardens in the Rain,” dancing snow, and a porcelain doll come to life. Treating each piece like a sculpture worth studying from all angles, Víkingur Ólafsson also weaves Philip Glass etudes with three suites originally written for the harpsichord by Rameau, the composer Ólafsson calls the bad boy of the French baroque. Listening to Ólafsson is described as an experience of lightness and elegance that radiates with sensations of life, as he brings a fresh perspective to classical and contemporary keyboard works.