News

Critics’ Choice: International Artist of the Year 2019

The critics have spoken: pianist Víkingur Ólafsson is Limelight's International Artist of the Year.

by Limelight on 2 January, 2020

Víkingur Ólafsson

Víkingur Ólafsson. Photo © Ari Magg

Critics’ Choice: International Artist of the Year

I am extremely happy to receive this wonderful honour. Australia is more or less exactly on the other side of the planet from my home, Reykjavík, and it means a lot that people are following my work 15,000 km away. – Víkingur Ólafsson

Read our interview with Víkingur Ólafsson

From the DIY classical music scene of Iceland, to Juilliard, to the world’s biggest stages, Víkingur Ólafsson’s career has been absolutely meteoric. With multiple world premieres this year alone and a stellar pair of releases with Deutsche Grammophon, there’s good reason for Ólafsson’s continued rise.

Although I’d been impressed with Ólafsson’s piano playing before my trip to Iceland, it took a drive around the country’s Route 1, looping most of the country, for me to fall in love with his style of performance. I’d stopped off at the famous Reykjavík record store 12 Tónar in...