Víkingur Ólafsson’s revelatory pairing of Debussy and Rameau
'An old friend seen properly for the first time'
Published:
Debussy • Rameau
Debussy: La damoiselle élue – Prélude; Estampes – Jardins sous la pluie; Children’s Corner – extracts; Préludes I – Des pas sur la neige; La fille aux cheveux de lin; Preludes II – Ondine; Images I – Hommage à Rameau; Rameau: Pièces de clavecin; The Arts and the Hours
Víkingur Ólafsson (piano)
DG 483 7701 79:08 mins
‘He’s done it again. Víkingur Ólafsson’s Bach album was justly showered in plaudits (not least ‘Recording of the Year’ at the 2019 BBC Music Magazine Awards) for its exceptional pianism allied to engaging, thought-provoking programming. Now he juxtaposes the two titans of French keyboard music, Rameau and Debussy, in a new disc packed full of delights.
There is never any doubt that this is Ólafsson’s vision of Rameau and Debussy, but it is also clearly rooted in love for each and their intertwining opens the eyes and the ears, highlighting especially that, like Bach, Rameau’s music is fertile ground for pianists.’
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Authors
Freya Parr is BBC Music Magazine's Digital Editor and Staff Writer. She has also written for titles including the Guardian, Circus Journal, Frankie and Suitcase Magazine, and runs The Noiseletter, a fortnightly arts and culture publication. Freya's main areas of interest and research lie in 20th-century and contemporary music.