There was one bright, soothing spot during this winter of our lives (in many more ways than one). In mine, and, I am quite sure, in the lives of the hundreds and thousands of music lovers who had the tremendous opportunity to listen and see for themselves a live performance of one of most sought-after classical music artists today. With almost 700,000 albums sold and a billion streams to his name.
The profoundly talented and accomplished Icelandic classical pianist Vikingur Olafsson is now in the midst of his 2023-2024 Goldberg Variations world tour. In the solo piano concert tour spanning six continents throughout the year, Olafsson has been performing the exquisite and ambitious composition of J.S. Bach — The Goldberg Variations.
TAKE NOTE: The Goldberg Variations is one long piece. Glenn Gould, the legendary Canadian (yes, our very own) classical pianist did it in 40 minutes. Vikingur Olafsson does it in in 75 to 80 minutes, based on his own version. He himself has said that he has been dreaming of performing the Goldberg Variations for 25 years now. Well, it’s not a dream anymore. With resounding success, at that. That’s focus and being single-minded for you. And, needless to say, tons and years of practice, practice, perfect practice, and more of perfect practice.
TAKE NOTE 2: The Royal Convervatory of Music in Toronto has a Glenn Gould School. In their website, it says “The Glenn Gould School is the Royal Conservatory of Music’s internationally recognized centre for professional training in music performance at the post-secondary and post-graduate levels.” The Glenn Gould School (GGS) has a unique advantage as it is “one of the few music schools in North America that is integrated with a major performing arts centre.” The website goes on to say that “the superb facilities at The Royal Conservatory’s TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, located in downtown Toronto, give…students every advantage as they develop performance and audition skills.”
A BIT OF REWIND
There I was towards the end of January, feeling glum and not looking forward to the long, cold winter in Toronto, sinking slowly into a blue-gray slow-moving funk, when something flashed on my computer screen which caught my eye and lit up my soul. OMG! There is hope after all.
Toronto was fortunate to have been part of this hope– A solo piano concert by the Juillard-trained and multi-awarded pianist Vikingur Olafsson at Koerner Hall on February 3 and 4, as part of Olafsson’s world tour. With a matinee performance February 4. Perfect. I didn’t have to travel at night. Alas, the website said it was sold out. No way. I’m calling the box office. I cannot for the life of me not be there. This is a dream for me. Alleluia! The dream came true. Just as Vikingur’s dream came true. In his case, 25 years after. In mine, in 1 week. Ha!
TAKE NOTE 3: Toronto was the only city in Canada included in Olafsson’s Goldberg World Tour. Lucky Torontonians. Lucky me.
I am grateful to the Royal Conservatory of Music, presenter of the incredible concert, that, inspite of the short notice, and the fact that the tickets were already sold out (according to the website), I was fortunate to secure one of the last two tickets that, miraculously, were available at the time I called the box office, around a week before the matinee concert on February 4. Come 3 pm February 4, sure enough, every seat was taken. Full house.
Unforgettable. Seat 10, Row A, lower balcony, behind the stage, had a glorious overhead view of Vikingur Olafsson playing his 75-minute version of the composition of Johann Sebastian Bach, the Goldberg Variations. So thankful that my body cooperated with me as there was no intermission. Everyone was entranced. Rightly so. His performance was, to say the least, mesmerizing. Exactly what the “New York Times” wrote in the review written by Oussama Zahr in their Critic Pick’s section, about Olafsson’s performance at the Carnegie Hall in New York City last February 8.
The title of Zahr’s piece in the “New York Times”? VIKINGUR OLAFSSON’S ‘GOLDBERGS’ MESMERIZE CARNEGIE HALL
Mesmerize. The same exact word I used as I wrote to a friend a few months ago while rhapsodizing about Olafsson’s particular brand of piano artistry.
Here are some excerpts from the glowing review of the performance penned by Zahr. And beautifully written at that, if I may say so myself. You may want to read it in full in the February 8 issue of the New York Times.
“On Wednesday night at Carnegie Hall, the pianist Vikingur Olafsson’s performance of Bach’s “Goldberg” Variations had everyone in a trance – including him…..
Playing from memory in his debut on Carnegie’s main stage, he swayed in a gentle reverie and hunched over the piano so intently that he almost touched his forehead to the keys….
It’s a 75-minute summit of the piano literature, and Olafsson gave a spectacular concert of it. He already has an elegantly accomplished recording of the piece, and a live setting only revealed new layers in his interpretation: intensely emotional, and intelligently paced, immaculate in its technique and organic in its phrasing. It was an artistic feat of contradictions that, in the end, felt deeply human. As he told The New York Times last fall, “Bach is not one thing; he’s everything at the same time.”
The reviewer Oussama Zahr took the words right out of my mouth. I could not have agreed with him more. I was not in Carnegie Hall February 8 but it felt the same in Koerner Hall that gloriously fateful afternoon of February 4.
One thing he wrote that resonated with me…”Most impressive of all was Olafsson’s sense of architecture”. In his music videos posted online, his settings are moving paeans to architecture. Whether indoors or outdoors. I am often agog with the settings of his music videos. Whether it be a museum or a house or an unfinished structure or even in the stark, tree-less but awe-inspiring landscapes of Iceland. I understand that he has a hand in the making of these videos. I would not be surprised because his videos (and his choice of compositions for his recordings) perfectly embody the feel of his play.
If anyone is interested, you can still catch the rest of his incredible Goldberg concert. The world tour started sometime late fall of 2023 in Seoul, I believe, with many other cities following.
Next up is in Reykjavik, Iceland (his home city) on February 18, then on to Sweden, the Czech Republic, Australia, Switzerland, Uruguay, and Brazil up to end of April. Whew! Mind-boggling schedule. He’s still young. Just turning 40 on February 14. Yes, on Valentines Day. You can check out the rest of his tour dates on the website of Deutsche Grammophon, his home music label. But if you would rather watch him perform in Toronto, like I do, relax music-lovers, he said that he will be back next year. You can bet your life I will be there. Hopefully, in the same seat. See you then.
By the way, he had a performance in Reykjavik last Valentine’s Day, February 14. Naturally, he would be performing where his loved ones are since it was not only the big day for hearts, but it was also his birthday.
A Belated Happy Birthday, Vikingur Olafsson!! May the world have more musical geniuses like you, spreading joy and peace with your passion.
Belated Happy Birthday also to Kaori Tanaka of Nishiarai, Tokyo last February 3.
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my granddaughter Nicole, today February 16.
JUST A SHORT BUT TIMELY FOOTNOTE
This is a paragraph from the book “Present Moment, Wonderful Moment” by the late beloved Vietnamese monastic and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh, the message of which I feel is apropos to reflect on, in today’s seemingly divided world. This is part of a collection of thoughtful writings on everyday things we do. In this case, watering plants. But it applies to all other things we do.
“The feeling of alienation among so many people today has come about because they lack awareness of the interconnectedness of all things. We cannot separate ourselves from society or anything else. “This is like this, because that is like that” is a phrase taken from the sutras, summarizing the principle of interrelatedness. To water plants and experience compassion and interconnectedness is a wonderful practice of meditation.”
Something to think about in depth and with your heart.
Tessie O. Taylor