Víkingur Ólafsson plays Brahms
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- What you'll hear
- All about the music
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Epic. Spine tingling. Here’s Johnny!
Who’s playing
What is it about Iceland? A tiny country that’s managed to produce artists like Björk, Sigur Rós, Ólafur Arnalds and incredible Eurovision act, Daði Freyr. Now add to that list pianist Víkingur Ólafsson who is teaming up with Royal Northern Sinfonia, led by Principal Conductor Dinis Sousa.
What they’re playing
We’ve got Kaija Saariaho’s atmospheric Ciel d’hiver (Winter sky), Bartók’s spine tingling Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta and ending with Brahms’ colossal Piano Concerto No. 2.
Need to know
Price: £19 – £46
Discounts: save if you’re under 17, aged 18 – 30, a classical first timer, or a group of 10 or more people. Check the details.
Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes, including a 20 minute interval.
Age: under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.
What you'll hear
Kaija Saariaho Ciel d’hiver (9’)
Béla Bartók Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (27’)
Johannes Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 (46’)
Who's playing
Dinis Sousa conductor
Víkingur Ólafsson piano
Royal Northern Sinfonia
What's happening in the music?
Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto is truly monumental. One of the longest concertos out there, it’s what musicians call a ‘big play’. It’s a mellow, handsome piece of music, written when Brahms was at the height of his compositional powers. In complete contrast to this ‘full fat’ piece of music, is Bartók’s eerie, spare, skeletal Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, famously used in the film ‘The Shining’ (hopefully our headline makes sense now). Saariaho’s piece, which starts the evening, sounds similarly ethereal, almost alien…
“It’s such a joy to listen to”
Read what blogger Fugue for Thought has to say about Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto. We love the little detail he highlights – that Brahms only used trumpets and timpani in the first two movements…meaning they have to sit there doing nothing for the last two!
Take a listen
Here’s Johnny!
Check out how Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta helped to make Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining extra creepy.
