#piano-interpretation

#piano-interpretation

Disinclined to follow the herd and record Beethoven's three final piano sonatas as a job lot, Vikingur Olafsson has chosen to circle one of them, No 30 in E major, Op 109, locating it in a musical timeline that reflects both the composer's past and the Viennese milieu of the early 18th century. For Olafsson, looking backwards means turning to Bach, whose musical fingerprints he detects all over late Beethoven. The latter's uninhibited invention, he argues, has its roots firmly in the baroque with its improvisatory elements and enthusiasm for the dance.