Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Víkingur Ólafsson

At the Elbphilharmonie, a programme of Ligeti, Adams and Lutosławski showcases the power of modern orchestral music to engage both intellectually and emotionally. 

A Finnish soundscape, fine detail in Bartók and deep understanding in Beethoven from the Royal Northern Sinfonia with Dinis Sousa and Víkingur Ólafsson. 

A unique, but at times frustrating performance of Brahms’ First Piano Concerto demonstrates Víkingur Ólafsson's qualities, but it's in Bartók's The Miraculous Mandarin that the LPO really comes alive. 

A pair of thrilling performances at the BBC Proms, neither of which bear any trace of the routine, that will live long in the memory

A faultless performance of whisper-quiet intimacy alternating with thundering counterpoint as the Icelandic pianist makes his much anticipated Australian debut. 

A capacity crowd turns out to see the doyen of American composers work his contemporary magic in the Rudolfinum. 

Víkingur Ólafsson's appearance may have been most anticipated, but it is Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances that impresses most as the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Edward Gardner make a welcome return to Antwerp.

Víkingur Ólafsson proves a sensational replacement for Daniel Barenboim with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor. 

Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson makes his debut with the Berlin Phil in John Adams' fiendish Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?.

Víkingur Ólafsson offers remarkable interpretations of major works of Mozart, placed alongside lesser-known pieces by four of the composer’s most important contemporaries for a memorable recital.

A thoughtfully designed and coherent program of French music at David Geffen Hall, is played with mostly exquisite results.

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal conclude their first European tour for three decades with sardonic Shostakovich under new Music Director Rafael Payare. 

The Icelandic pianist plays an excellent John Adams concerto followed by an exceptional encore. The Philharmonia's Mahler 5 shows many fine qualities.

The celebrated American composer, who is this year's Composer-in-Residence at the Zurich Tonhalle, brings the whole audience to its feet.

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra opens its season with a dazzling showpiece by Thomas Adès.

A carefully curated concert by the effervescent Icelandic pianist, Víkingur Ólafsson, of music by Mozart and his contemporaries. 

Pablo Heras-Casado a programme featuring a classic combination of Mozart and Schumann. 

The rising Icelandic piano star made his Proms debut alongside conductor Paavo Järvi and London's Philharmonia Orchestra, in a programme that seamlessly shifted between Classical, Baroque and Modern styles.

Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson makes his debut both with the conductor Paavo Järvi and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

The finale of the Icelandic pianist's five-concert residency in the Bergen Philharmonic's Wintermezzo festival saw him play Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor... this time in the same hall as the orchestra!

The Icelandic pianist joins The Hallé and conductor Klaus Mäkelä to deliver an excellent performance of Beethoven's First Piano Concerto at the Bridgewater Hall. 

A generous programme by Alban Gerhardt and Víkingur Ólafsson saw a tale of two halves, with the classical poise of the first half and the more extrovert showpieces of the second. 

Hugo Ticciati and Víkingur Ólafsson explore notions of time, but a lesson in mindful performance comes from the gravity-defying Sanddorn Balance act.  

Víkingur Ólafsson’s recordings were already positive cues going in, but I must admit, his performance of the Goldbergs exceeded my wildest expectations. 

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra's tour to the acoustically excellent Göteborgs konserthus in Sweden for a concert of Sibelius, Strauss and Thorvaldsdóttir was an obvious success, demonstrating an orchestral sound that deserves to be heard abroad more often. 

Vikingur Ólafsson, a daring and unique artist, never repeated himself in a performance of Philip Glass' Etudes for piano as part of the Berlin Konzerthaus' "Festival USA".

La création française d'After the Fall, concerto pour piano de John Adams, a laissé une impression mitigée, au contraire du reste du programme, formidablement convaincant sous la baguette du chef estonien.

Der isländische Pianist wirkt in Zürich als Solist in Beethovens Fünftem Klavierkonzert. Die Konstellation ist diesmal anders als bei seinem Soloauftritt vor einem knappen Jahr. 

Das britische Spitzenorchester und der isländische Pianist begeistern mit fesselndem Brahms und unprätentiösem Beethoven.

Erschütternde Fünfte Symphonie Tschaikowskys folgt Víkingur Ólafssons liedhaftem Klavierspiel.

Der isländische Pianist, der zurzeit mit Bachs Goldberg-Variationen um die Welt tourt, lässt die historische Aufführungspraxis links liegen und deutet das großartige Variationenwerk aus einer subjektivistischen Perspektive.

Un sonido virtuoso y una magnífica resolución técnica no lograron compensar un cierto desequilibrio en la interpretación formal de esta obra cumbre del repertorio para teclado.

Alexander Liebreich y la Orquestra de València concluyen la temporada con un concierto brillante. 

Remplaçant Martha Argerich, le pianiste islandais a interprété idéalement le Concerto en sol de Ravel, au milieu d'une soirée où l'orchestre romain et son chef n'ont pas brillé.

Der Elften Symphonie Schostakowitschs in der Elbphilharmonie Schumanns Klavierkonzert a-Moll gegenüberzustellen, war von den Beteiligten eine wunderbare Idee.

John Adams dirigiert das Radio Filharmonisch Orkest in einem interessanten Programm, das jedoch nicht immer überzeugen kann.

Qui de mieux que John Adams pour diriger un concert américain ? L'Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France s'est associé au fameux compositeur pour un concert prometteur mais finalement frustrant, notamment dans la création du jour.

Das Programm kombinierte eisige Musik aus dem Norden und russisches Feuer mit Werken von Grieg, Bjarnason und Tschaikowsky, mit Vikingur Ólafsson als Solist.

Mit der Uraufführung von Haukur Tómassons Klavierkonzert Nr. 2 sowie Werken von Charles Ives, Anna Thorvaldsdottir und Igor Strawinsky zeigt das NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester sein Können in der Musik des 20. und 21. Jahrhunderts