The New York Times is one of several outlets to have drawn a connection between pianist
Vikingur Olafsson
and the late
Glenn Gould
, and it's viable.
Olafsson
does not focus as heavily on
Bach
as did
Gould
, and he does not have
's highly wrought (or overwrought) way in slow pieces, but in his combination of fleet passagework and attention to unusual detail, he may well remind listeners of the great Canadian. The first CD in this double album, with
's readings of mostly short dance and contrapuntal pieces, is available separately, but the full double release may be recommended.
includes various
transcriptions on CD 1, and the meaning of this becomes clear in the "Reworks," where various electronic musicians are brought on board to collaborate with
on treatments of
's music. These are of various kinds, with veteran electronic pioneer
Ryuichi Sakamoto
and kraut rocker
Hans-Joachim Roedelius
on hand along with several Icelandic musicians, and range from specific references to
to general evocations of a Bachian mood.
seems to suggest that the electronic versions are part of a long tradition of
reception that also includes the transcriptions of
Siloti
and others. It gives the listener something to chew on, and the album may also serve to introduce flavors of contemporary electronics to those whose tastes run more to
. A typically bold statement from
, from whom the last has definitely not yet been heard. ~ James Manheim