|
Back
02/08/2026
“Opus 109”
Johann Sebastian Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier I: Prelude n° 9 in E‑Flat major, BWV 854 – Partita n° 6 in E minor, BWV 830 – French Suite n° 6 in E Major, BWV 817: III. Sarabande
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonatas n° 27 in E minor, opus 90, & n° 30 in E major, opus 109
Franz Schubert: Piano Sonata n° 6 in E minor, D. 566
Víkingur Olafsson (piano)
Recording: Harpa Concerto House, Nordurljós Hall, Reykjavik, Iceland (July 2025) – 76’
Deutsche Grammophon 948674111 (Distributed by Universal Music) – Booklet in English, German and French
 
Icelandic pianist Víkingur Olafsson, of Bach’s Goldberg Variations fame, presents Baroque and classical favorites in a new release from Deutsche Grammophon. At the center of this recital is Beethoven’s Piano Sonata n° 30, flashing like the Hope Diamond in the center of a wreath of lighter fare. Those less hefty works include a prelude and dances by Bach, Schubert’s Piano Sonata n° 6, as well as another Beethoven piano composition, the Piano Sonata n° 27. All the selections are in the keys of E (major/minor), which translates to the color green to synesthesia Olafsson. (He has the ability to see sounds as colors, a gift he shares with Michael Torke, Scriabin, Messiaen, and other notable musicians).
I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the Opus 109, the listing of which is prominently displayed on the album cover. This is one of Beethoven’s towering final keyboard works whose innovations led to the creation of the modern piano. Composed in 1820, the Sonata is bookended by three of the most astonishing works in the piano repertoire: the volcanic Hammerklavier (Piano Sonata n° 29 in B‑Flat major), the Piano Sonata n° 31 in A‑Flat major, followed by the composer’s farewell to the piano sonata form, the Piano Sonata n° 32 in C minor.
Beethoven is a composer of power, perhaps, the most powerful composer in the Western tradition: his music oscillating between flames of passion and the warm glow of spiritual insight. But Olafsson takes a different path through much of this Sonata. After a sweet introduction (as advised by Beethoven in the dolce direction), the pianist pursues a pathway characterized by mildness rather than assertion, clean articulation rather than eager searching. To be sure, there are moments in which Olafsson provides a rush of creatively controlled adrenaline, in the middle of the first movement, for example. But the overall tone throughout the three movements gives the impression of restrained expectation. The most gripping part of this Sonata, anticipated like a crème brûlée after a gourmet repast, is the clutch of six variations which makes up the final movement. Here, Beethoven gives us a universe of feelings and musical flavors within a few pages, demonstrating his transformational mastery of a form that can easily lead to pedantry and boredom.
I can find no actual fault with Olafsson’s concentrated approach or lack of spontaneity, but I yearn for some freewheeling exuberance, a dash of the wildness that Thoreau called “the preservation of the world.” All of Beethoven’s stirring variations from the late period of his life arise from the discipline of improvisation he pursued in his early years in Vienna. That improvisational spirit is what I find missing in this technically correct presentation of the 30th Sonata.
That being said, let there be as many approaches to Beethoven as possible, for what is a classic if not something that can withstand the changing tides of critical opinion. I may not warm up to this album’s point of view, but it just may be the viewpoint you and other smart people have been looking for.
Linda Holt
|
