Album insights
Víkingur Ólafsson's third project for Deutsche Grammophon bridges two greats of French music: Claude Debussy and Jean-Philippe Rameau. Upon diving deeper into Rameau's works, Ólafsson discovered a treasure trove of inventive pieces rarely performed. Spending time immersed in Rameau's piano music, he recognized a clear affinity with Debussy: one a revolutionary breaking tradition, the other defining functional harmonic interplay. This album alternates between Rameau's "Pièces de clavecin" and Debussy's "Estampes," "Children's Corner," and two sets of "Préludes." The closing piece "Hommage à Rameau" symbolizes an artist's acknowledgment of a spiritual kinship rather than a pupil's gratitude to a teacher.