FROM AFAR—Víkingur Ólafsson, piano—DG
The latest from DG’s star Icelandic, Juilliard-trained pianist is a gem. Wonderful, unique repertoire on two CDs with each piece played once on a standard Steinway grand and a second time on an upright, just as Ólafsson experienced in his youth.
The repertoire includes short works by J.S. Bach, Schumann, Kurtág, Bartók, Brahms, Birgisson, Kaldalóns, Mozart, and “The Branch” by Thomas Adès, written specifically for this album.
From afar is dedicated to György Kurtág, one of the pianist’s favourite contemporary composers, and mine.
Ólafsson and Kurtág met in 2021 and a friendship was formed. Ólafsson had been an admirer of his music for decades. But Ólafsson’s description in his beautifully written notes tells of a conversation between his father and Ólafsson: “Listen,” my father said to me one night in the late ’90s, as he handed me a recording of Kurtág’s Kafka Fragments, a song cycle for soprano and violin. “This is the Winterreise of the 20th century.” I knew that when my father got so enthusiastic about a piece of music or a composer, it could really pay off to start listening on repeat. What opened up to me was a world of intense, ultra-specific expression – part music, part poetry, part primordial gesture. More than 20 years on, I believe my father was absolutely correct about this exquisite collection of emotionally rattling musical moments. One of the marvels of Kurtág’s music is how he manages to convey in only a few seconds of music what most other composers could only dream of conveying in an hour, or a few hours. Or a lifetime.
A well-nigh-perfect description of Kurtág’s brilliant compositions.
So, lots about Kurtág but what about the other composers?
The friendship with Kurtág is what shapes the album. After the meeting, “I felt like I had been reacquainted with some musical essence, and it gave me a feeling of lightness and joy. Wanting to write him a letter to thank him, I found myself at the piano instead, drawing up a map of works with Kurtág’s own music as a compass. The result is this album.”
Publishing two recorded versions of each piece is more interesting musical experiment than “theme”, “one made on a Steinway concert grand and the other made on an upright with a layer of felt covering the strings, a permanent soft pedal”. Interestingly, Ólafsson’s previous albums have received universal praise, certainly in these pages. But From Afar has come in for some flack, not for Ólafsson’s fabulous piano playing, but for what some consider the trendiness of the concept. I’m very sensitive to these sorts of albums, crossovers and the like. I usually dislike them. I had no such feelings for this set; from the first exquisite Bach, you are in the hands of a master. And Kurtág’s beautiful original miniatures and arrangements are perfect for a serious or relaxing listening session.
Be sure to read the full booklet before you listen. Ólafsson’s vision and intent will be clear.
I listened to the album via Qobuz HiRes streaming before reading the booklet. I thought I was hearing things as Qobuz “shuffled’ the queue and I’d hear one version then the other sounding different but somehow similar beyond the same notes. As such, this is a dream CD for audiophiles and we forever testers. Musically, I prefer the grand version; the upright version is a perfect test for your system’s resolution—all sorts of extraneous sounds incl. pedal sound, squeaking, the softness of piano attack, keys clacking, etc—but I’ll be returning to CD 1 and the Steinway grand more often.
If you’re a lover of a pianist’s very beautiful tone, this latest Ólafsson release is for you. He continues to produce interesting CDs, full of great performances, interesting compilations and programming. Much like his Phillip Glass, Debussy and Rameau and his Mozart & Contemporaries albums, From Afar is very highly recommended.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Christe, du Lamm Gottes BWV 619 (arr. György Kurtág)
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Study in Canonic Form op. 56/1
Johann Sebastian Bach
Adagio from Sonata for Solo Violin No. 3 in C major BWV 1005 (arr. Víkingur Ólafsson)
György Kurtág (b.1926)
Harmonica (Hommage à Borsody László) (from Játékok, Book 3)
Béla Bartók (1881-1945)
3 Hungarian Folk Songs from Csík Sz. 35a
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Intermezzo in E major op. 116/4
György Kurtág
A Voice in the Distance (from Játékok, Book 5)
Snorri Sigfús Birgisson (b.1954)
Where Life and Death May Dwell (Icelandic folk song)
Johann Sebastian Bach
Allegro moderato from Trio Sonata No. 1 in E flat major BWV 525 (arr. György Kurtág) feat. Halla Oddný Magnúsdóttir
Sigvaldi Kaldalóns (1881-1946)
Ave María (arr. Víkingur Ólafsson)
György Kurtág
Little Chorale (from Játékok, Book 1)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Laudate Dominum
(arr. Víkingur Ólafsson)
György Kurtág
Sleepily (from Játékok, Book 1)
Robert Schumann
Träumerei op. 15/7
György Kurtág
Flowers We Are (from Játékok, Book 5)
Thomas Adès (b.1971)
The Branch
György Kurtág
Twittering (from Játékok, Book 1) feat. Halla Oddný Magnúsdóttir
Robert Schumann
Vogel als Prophet op. 82/7
Johannes Brahms
Intermezzo in E minor op. 116/5
György Kurtág
Scraps of a Colinda Melody – Faintly Recollected
(Hommage à Farkas Ferenc) (from Játékok, Book 3)
(This entire programme is then recorded on an upright piano)
Oct 7 release
