Víkingur Ólafsson in Recital: Beach, Beethoven, and Schubert
Item details
Date
Thursday, Mar 26, 2026 7:30PM
Name
Víkingur Ólafsson in Recital - Bach, Beethoven, and Schubert
Description
📍 This concert takes place at Powell Hall
Víkingur Ólafsson, piano
J.S. Bach Prelude in E major, BWV 854
Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14 No. 1
J.S. Bach Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830
Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90
Franz Schubert Piano Sonata in E minor, D 566
Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109
In pianist Víkingur Ólafsson’s hands, composers of the 18th and 19th centuries sound brand new. Beethoven’s Sonata No. 30, one of the composer’s most demanding, anchors a recital of music by the three classical music titans: Bach, Beethoven, and Schubert. Ólafsson, whose heartfelt interpretations and commitment to recordings have garnered one billion streams, returns to St. Louis for the first time since the start of the SLSO’s 2023 European tour to share this intensely personal program.
A few things to know:
- Beethoven experienced huge success with his Piano Sonata No. 29—a massive work known as the “Hammerklavier” Sonata. In his Piano Sonata No. 30, which anchors this program, Beethoven returned to a freer form and more intimate expression that explores a vast range of moods.
- Ólafsson has quickly become a treasured collaborator of SLSO Music Director Stéphane Denève. He made his SLSO debut in November 2021, then toured with the orchestra to Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain in March 2023, performing Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto. The pair have also shared performances at the New York Philharmonic and are collaborating with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra of Sweden in spring 2025.
- In a bold move, Ólafsson took a recital of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations on tour for 88 performances throughout his 23/24 season. “When I play Bach, I am reminded that historical eras in music are notions we superimpose on what is essentially a continuum: an unbroken thread linking us all, a running stream flowing through us,” he said.
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