Víkingur Ólafsson – Debussy: La fille aux cheveux de lin, Preludes Op.1, No.8

The prelude’s central idea takes after its title – a girl with golden hair, which in the fine art symbolizes innocence and naivety. This voyage of musical discovery introduced Ólafsson to the immaculate blend of “freedom and discipline” in Debussy’s piano writing. “As extraordinary innovators of both harmony and form, with a unique ear for colour and a keen sense of the theatrical, both composers, Debussy and Rameau, wrote music which engages more senses than just the hearing”, he observes. “And both enjoyed giving their compositions titles that stimulate the imagination – the music itself ranging from the purely programmatic to the entirely abstract. As in previous albums, however, I have left the music itself guide me, rather than a fixed ideology.” Watch pianist Víkingur Ólafsson (“Artist of the Year” at the Gramophone Awards 2019) perform Debussy’s ’La fille aux cheveux de lin’. Video Director: Jürgen Schindler DOP: Ole Jürgens Víkingur