Concert Programs

Soloist

Víkingur Ólafsson

Icelandic · 1984

Víkingur Ólafsson, born in Reykjavík in 1984, is one of the most sought-after pianists of his generation. He had his first lessons from his mother, a piano teacher, and studied at the Juilliard School in New York before returning to Iceland, where he founded his own record label, Dirrindí, and the Reykjavík Midsummer Music festival. Since signing with Deutsche Grammophon he has released a series of thoughtfully conceived albums (Philip Glass, Johann Sebastian Bach, Debussy and Rameau, Mozart and his contemporaries) which have won him a wide international following. His recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, which he performed around the world throughout the 2023/24 season, won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo in 2025. Admired for the clarity, rhythmic precision and imaginative programming of his playing, he joins the Berliner Philharmoniker this season.

With

Berliner PhilharmonikerWiener PhilharmonikerLondon Symphony OrchestraRoyal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Performs in

Upcoming

Past guides

Sources 9

  1. John Adams at 80: John Adams and Víkingur Ólafsson, 13 January 2027, London Symphony Orchestra Cited in John Adams at 80: Adams Conducts Adams, with Víkingur Ólafsson. Accessed 7 October 2026.
  2. John Adams: UK premiere of piano concerto After the Fall, Boosey & Hawkes Cited in John Adams at 80: Adams Conducts Adams, with Víkingur Ólafsson. Accessed 7 October 2026.
  3. After the Fall (Adams), Wikipedia Cited in John Adams at 80: Adams Conducts Adams, with Víkingur Ólafsson. Accessed 7 October 2026.
  4. Mozartwoche 2027: Konzert Wiener Philharmoniker III, Tourismus Salzburg (salzburg.info) Cited in G Minor, C Minor, and a Posthorn. Accessed 7 October 2026.
  5. Berlin, Germany: Berliner Philharmoniker, Beethoven, Shostakovich, Semyon Bychkov (official site) Cited in Heroes and Tyrants: From Beethoven to Shostakovich. Accessed 30 September 2026.
  6. Víkingur Ólafsson, Wikipedia Cited in Heroes and Tyrants: From Beethoven to Shostakovich. Accessed 30 September 2026.
  7. Kirill Petrenko and Víkingur Ólafsson with Brahms and Strauss, Berliner Philharmoniker Cited in Storm and Sunrise: Brahms’s First Concerto and Also sprach Zarathustra. Accessed 30 September 2026.
  8. Daniil Trifonov Cancels Berlin Philharmonic Concerts Due to Injury, The Violin Channel Cited in Storm and Sunrise: Brahms’s First Concerto and Also sprach Zarathustra. Accessed 30 September 2026.
  9. Víkingur Ólafsson: Biography, Deutsche Grammophon Cited in Storm and Sunrise: Brahms’s First Concerto and Also sprach Zarathustra. Accessed 30 September 2026.