Over the last couple of years, we have been hypnotised by Víkingur Ólafsson’s playing of Bach, which I have found it very hard to analyse: very light, oddly otherworldly, as if it is being played from another planet, not early eighteenth-century Leipzig. More recently, we have been listening to his new recording of Debussy and Rameau. But I haven’t dared write about it, because I’m not confident of my musical judgment, so was pleased to read the attached piece in the New Yorker, which describes the quality of his playing authoritatively:-
| Charles | Saumarez | Smith | 
Such a coincidence! I heard a recording on the radio of him playing Philip Glass, it was on This Classical Life on which is on Saturdays. Since then I have been listening to him too on Spotify, beguiling, enchanting, something strange…
Yes, he plays Philip Glass amazingly ! Charles
Thank you for this! (and separate congratulations on your excellent Award)(and thank you for Daily Anglesey!)
Just before I headed off to You Tube to find Víkingur, I was sobered by scrolling down to the final 2 paras of Alex Ross’s New Yorker column via your link, and his salutory reminder to habitual streamers like me (worth a read in full, esp re streaming vs CDs) that “if the performing arts are to retain a place in our society, we will have to rethink how we value them—economically, culturally, politically. For now, we can try to repay artists for the immense library of music that we have been given, or, more precisely, that we have taken.” Off to buy it on CD now…!
Dear Simon, Greetings ! Thank you for this Comment. Must read the full article. Charles