Bach & Beethoven

Grammy Award-winning pianist Víkingur Ólafsson has described Johann Sebastian Bach as 'the musical love of my life'. His dedication to the composer's works led him to embark on an epic tour in 2023, performing Bach's Goldberg Variations almost 100 times.

Now, he intersperses a selection of Johann Sebastian Bach's keyboard compositions with music by Bach's admirer Ludwig van Beethoven. The Bach works he's chosen include the expansive Partita BWV 830, inspired by French and Italian dances.

Beethoven is represented by two of his late, great sonatas. Opus 90 is alternately fiery and reflective, while Opus 109 features one of Beethoven's greatest finales: six variations on an exquisite song-like theme. Ólafsson's recording of this sonata was recently described by The Guardian as 'one of the most purely beautiful accounts on record'.

'Ólafsson opens up a transcendent vista on to a brave new world' – The Guardian