Vinyl, Deutsche Grammophon (label)

With the exception of the ‘Black Pearl’ variation, which lasts almost ten minutes, this is one of the fastest sets I have ever heard, yet it’s also one of the most enjoyable. Ólafsson draws... — BBC Music Magazine, December 2023, 5 out of 5 stars (Performance) / 4 out of 5 stars (Recording) More…

He’s done it again…it is clear from the outset that this is no lazy selection of favourites…His playing never feels self-indulgent of inappropriate…There is never any doubt that this is Ólafsson’s... — BBC Music Magazine, June 2020, 5 out of 5 stars More…

Best of all are the Masques, recorded in Copenhagen in 1994…Indeed, the middle-period Masques also leap out with more imagination than anything else here, the pianist’s command of colour magnificent... — BBC Music Magazine, January 2023, 4 out of 5 stars More…

I expected this to be good; but just how good it was was still a surprise…Ólafsson creates a ravishing musical sequence. Every track has its own allure, and many reflect a virtuosity which is... — BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2018, 5 out of 5 stars More…

Ólafsson’s interpretations inhabit a unique, distinct and extraordinary world all their own...[he] possesses that rare gift of illuminating a familiar work in unexpected ways, revealing hidden... — Gramophone Magazine, April 2017 More…