Icelandic Pianist Olafsson Wows Vancouver

Olafsson received many standing ovations

The first Icelandic musician I knew of was Bjork, and then most recently Laufey. But I should have probably known of pianist wunderkind Vikingur Olafsson, who gave a spellbinding performance at the Chan Centre at the University of British Columbia last night.

The 42-year-old Icelandic musician has received numerous accolades recently, including a 2025 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for his interpretation of J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations, and a Gold Medal from the Royal Philharmonic Society, is the highest honour given to an artist for their musicianship, and previous recipients include Johannes Brahms, Sir Edward Elgar, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Richard Strauss, Leonard Bernstein, Isaac Stern and Yo-Yo Ma.

He is praised for his musicianship

Olafsson started learning piano at an early age, taught by his mother, and then he later studied at Juilliard School in New York. 

In 2023 he started touring, just performing Bach's Goldberg Variations -- 88 times. Later that year he made a recording which was released by Deutsche Grammaphon.

Not only does Olaffson interpret music on the keys, but also educates the public about it through TV and radio programs. After he finished performing for an hour and a half straight, he was very comfortable coming back on stage and speaking to the audience.

What's also interesting about him is that he has synesthesia, a perceptual phenomenon where he can see colours in musical notes. For example, he associates F minor with blue, A major with yellow, and B major with purple.

Last night he performed a program featuring Bach, Beethoven, and Schubert with pieces all in the key of E (which he sees in green). 

Olafsson comfortable speaking to the audience

Prelude in E major BWV 854 by Bach

Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90 by Beethoven

Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830 by Bach

Sonata in E minor, D 566 by Schubert

Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109 by Beethoven

He performed them one after the other without any breaks. At times he would lower his head so far down that as I was watching from the far left, it seemed as if his head was missing! If he finished a piece he would lean back dramatically with fingers on the keys lingering for an extra moment before launching into the next piece.

At first we the audience were trying hard not to move too much, but after a while we realised his style of performing was without any breaks so people would shift slightly when he started a new piece or movement. It's hard for people, particularly seniors to sit completely still!

Nevertheless, they were all excited when he finished the program and everyone jumped to their feet to give him a standing ovation several times.

Laufey and Olafsson!

And he obliged with three encores, two of which were his own arrangements: Bach's Air on a G String, and Icelandic composer Sigvaldi Kaldalons' version of Ave Maria. The third piece was Rameau's Rappel des oiseaux.

He's not just strictly classical either -- on the internet I discovered Olafsson enjoys Chinese-Icelandic Laufey's music and he has even reinterpreted her song Bewitched!