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© Markus Jans
Vikingur Olafsson
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December 2025 | ||||||
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Faithful to the work and yet radical
Víkingur Ólafsson
In February 2025, Víkingur Ólafsson received a Grammy Award in the category Best Classical Instrumental Solo for his groundbreaking, visionary recording of the Goldberg Variations. On a world tour across all continents in the past season, he devoted himself exclusively to Bach’s masterpiece, captivating audiences everywhere.
Under Ólafsson’s hands, Bach’s music becomes a metaphor for the human experience, wrote the Sunday Times. Personal and yet universal, faithful to the work and yet radical, technically brilliant and emotionally uplifting … a journey to the center of the soul. Ólafsson himself says that in the past season he came to know himself even better and witnessed the unique impact of Bach’s message on people from different cultures: It was a life-changing experience for which I will always be grateful.
Yet while still touring with the Goldberg Variations, the pianist had already begun to turn to Ludwig van Beethoven. In the coming years, he will embark on a new project: recording the composer’s last three piano sonatas. In December, the Icelandic Glenn Gould returns to Munich. Beethoven’s Sonata No. 30 will crown the program, complemented by another of the composer’s sonatas as well as works by Bach and Schubert – all in the keys of E major or E minor.
Program and cast
Víkingur Ólafsson
Piano Recital
Program
Bach: Prelude in E major BWV 854 from The Well-Tempered Clavier (Book I)
Beethoven: Sonata No. 27 in E minor op. 90
Bach: Partita No. 6 in E minor BWV 830
Schubert: Moderato and Allegretto from the Sonata in E minor D 566
Beethoven: Sonata No. 30 in E major op. 109
Isar Philharmonic
Isarphilharmonie
Munich’s most modern concert hall
Since the Isarphilharmonie opened in October 2021, it has quickly gained a reputation for its special atmosphere and excellent sound. The list of orchestras performing here reads like a veritable Who’s Who, headed by the Munich Philharmonic, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Munich Chamber Orchestra. High profile concert agencies see the auditorium as the perfect place for guest appearances by national and international orchestras and it also hosts jazz productions and large-scale popular music concerts of all genres.
But the Isarphilharmonie also has another string to its bow: it can be blacked out, making it the ideal venue for film screenings – with or without orchestral accompaniment. The auditorium is equipped with a large screen and top-class cinematic sound systems.
Architecture & acoustics
The building that houses the Isarphilharmonie is a steel structure with an internal volume of nearly 60,000 cubic metres. The concert hall itself can accommodate almost 2000 guests and is made from prefabricated solid wood elements. The walls are clad with black-stained softwood panels, while the stage and floors are made from light cedar wood for a striking contrast. The Isarphilharmonie at Gasteig HP8 was built by the general contractor NÜSSLI to the plans of architects gmp – Gerkan, Marg und Partner.
The Isarphilharmonie acoustics were created by Nagata Acoustics International – the team led by star acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota – who were also involved with the construction of the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and the Philharmonie de Paris.
© Markus Jans
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