Víkingur Ólafsson - Grieg / Stéphane Dénève - Rachmaninoff

Vikingur Olafsson plays Grieg

Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson was called the 'Icelandic Glenn Gould' by The New York Times. De Standaard went one step further and dubbed him 'the new god of classical music'. His acclaimed album Mozart & Contemporaries was recently released. Ólafsson solos with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in Grieg's early Piano Concerto. A fiery and powerful work full of dances in which Ólafsson constantly surprises, according to Bachtrack.

Rachmaninoff

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra performs Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances. A fresh work, full of unusual combinations of instruments. And a touch of jazz. Rachmaninoff playfully colours outside the lines here – is that perhaps the theme of this concert? In an interview, conductor Stéphane Dénève told his programs always to tell a story. "Just like putting together a bouquet of flowers." Just as in Grieg and Rachmaninoff's works, playfulness is paramount in Prokofiev's The Love of the Three Oranges. This suite, after the opera of the same name, tells a beautiful story full of princesses, sorcery and… fruit.