Víkingur Heiðar Ólafsson is the uncrowned grand master among Icelandic pianists, with penetrating performances that touch the minds and hearts of all who hear him. He was selected "Performer of the Year" for the fourth time at this year's Icelandic Music Awards, specifically for his performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto no. 1 with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.
Scriabin's piano concerto in F sharp minor was composed in 1896. "He's a huge and very interesting composer, sometimes forgotten," says Jónsson in an interview with today's Morgunblaðið. He first peroformed the concerto in Finland last month so tonight's performance is only his second public performance of the piece.
“To enter into Scriabin's tonal world is to play with fire. His Piano Concerto is a masterpiece, no matter how you look at it, and it is downright bizarre that it should be performed as seldom as it is. It's a great pleasure for me to perform it in Iceland during the year marking the centennial of his death." Jónsson describes the performance as notes that have to melt together into one flowing web- most of it textured and coloured. "He writes a footnote to the minor variation in the movement: This should be performed as if we're underground! It's a huge piece."
Also on the programme are two other works by well-known masters. Ludwig van Beethoven composed his Coriolan Overture under the influence of the eponymous play by Heinrich Joseph von Collin. The play has been forgotten long since, but Beethoven's dramatic overture lives on. Franz Schubert died young but left behind him a treasure trove of splendid works. One of the most beloved among them is his Symphony no. 9, often called “The Great C”, which lay all but forgotten until Robert Schumann obtained a copy of the manuscript and ensured that it was performed for the first time.
Tonight's concert is conducted by Eivind Aadland, one of Norway's most respected conductors, who has been a frequent and popular guest conductor with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.
For tickets to the concert click HERE.
