In an era when classical music superstars are often marketed as much for charisma as musical chops, the pairing of pianists Yuja Wang and Víkingur Ólafsson in concert at London’s Royal Festival Hall promised an embarrassment of riches. Anticipation for this singular event was sky-high, the auditorium packed past capacity. Would the polished star power of these eminent soloists translate to duo magic?
From the first breath of Berio’s delicate “Wasserklavier,” barely audible above the hall’s collective hush, it was apparent this duo was in perfect sync. As phrases echoed hypnotically between the two Steinways, the exquisite control and restraint in the pianists’ touch was spellbinding. Throughout the night, they demonstrated an astonishing dynamic range, from this intimate whisper to thunderous, muscular fortes.
Subtle Shadings, Stupendous Power
In works by Cage and Pärt, Wang and Ólafsson exploited the contrast between crystalline, bell-like notes suspended in silence and sudden, declamatory gestures. Highlights abounded: the blistering, machine-gun precision of Nancarrow’s Player Piano Study, the expansive lyricism of Schubert’s epic F minor Fantasia – navigated via nearly telepathic coordination – and the visceral thrill ride of John Adams’s “Hallelujah Junction,” pushed to whirlwind tempos.
But where the pianists particularly excelled was in illuminating the immense coloristic variety and emotional depth possible when two keyboard instruments commune so intimately. In Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances, initially conceived for two pianos, their impeccable voicing and pedal control evoked lush orchestral textures, while their razor-sharp rhythmic accuracy propelled the music forward inexorably.
It’s hard to imagine a more viscerally thrilling performance.
– Critic at The Guardian, on Wang and Ólafsson’s rendition of Adams’s “Hallelujah Junction”
A Rare Musical Mind-Meld
Perhaps most impressive was the near-miraculous mind-meld Wang and Ólafsson achieved. In complex, densely polyphonic passages like Schubert’s fugato, where seamless ensemble is notoriously challenging, they wove their parts together into a unified musical fabric of jaw-dropping clarity and expressiveness. Melodies and motives passed back and forth organically, as if conjured by a single performer with four hands.
Maintaining such effortless coordination on separate instruments requires intense concentration and sensitivity; these artists turned it into transcendent music-making. As a rapt listener, one almost forgot the superhuman virtuosity on display, transported by their profound interpretive synergy.
Their loudest chords landed like pillars dropped from a great height. Yet passages elsewhere were almost shocking in their spareness.
– Critic at The Guardian, on dynamic range in the Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances
Raising the Bar for Piano Duos
If there was any doubt that Yuja Wang and Víkingur Ólafsson rank among the greatest pianists before a public today, this electrifying concert emphatically erased it. More than that, they may have raised the bar for two-piano performance in an era when such collaborations, especially of this caliber, are regrettably rare.
As classically-trained musicians increasingly explore diverse creative pathways as soloists and chamber players, the piano duo genre risks being overshadowed. But Wang and Ólafsson’s performances revealed its vast expressive potential anew – and suggested a template for reinvigorating it through innovative 20th/21st century repertoire and old chestnuts alike, channeled with scintillating technique and impassioned musicality.
Moments when time almost stopped were balanced by tempi that tended to the fast and furious.
– Critic at The Guardian, on Wang and Ólafsson’s expert pacing and rhythmic control
As a marathon six-encore set confirmed, this singular concert was a masterclass in what’s possible when two transcendent keyboard artists unite in a pinpoint vision. One can only hope the incandescent spark between Wang and Ólafsson kindles further collaborations, on stage and in studio. Audiences will surely be listening with bated breath, eager for the chance to eavesdrop again on an elite musical conversation scaled to the most sweeping and intimate of human emotions.
