00:00 Intro
00:13 Fantasy
04:08 Fugue
Ólafsson's somewhat wayward interpretations and concept albums granted him the nickname of "Iceland's Glenn Gould". Besides the obvious marketing attempt behind this sobriquet, only time will tell if this is true or not.
It is certainly true that DG's superstar has lots of personality, and the ensuing artistic results ranged from plain uninteresting ("From Afar") to simply stunning (his albums dedicated to Bach, Debussy and Rameau...)
Ólafsson particularly excels in Bach thanks to the staggering level of timbral differentiation he brings to the different voices, which leads me to wonder how much of it has to be credited to an engineering tour de force. In any case, the Fantasy is played with remarkable gusto, while the monumental Fugue is given an impressive sense of culmination. Some personal touches include the way Ólafsson consistently plays the trill of the fugue subject as measured 32nd notes.
The Bach playlist: • BACH
26 июн 2024
