Rameau: Suite in A minor

Víkingur Ólafsson brings to Rameau's A minor Suite an approach that balances Baroque authenticity with the qualities of the modern concert grand — not attempting to imitate harpsichord articulation, but instead finding what the piano can offer Rameau that the harpsichord cannot: dynamic gradation, the ability to sustain, the capacity for voice-leading that breathes. Ólafsson's touch is precise and deliberate, each ornament cleanly executed, the rhythmic character of the dance forms honored without being exaggerated. Rameau's A minor Suite draws from his keyboard collections of the 1720s and 30s — music of wit and formal elegance, composed in the French style that favored elaborate ornamentation and dance-inflected character pieces. The emotional register is varied: the suite moves through different affects as a collection, some movements stately and ceremonial, others quick and sparkling, others quietly melancholic. Ólafsson's recording captures this variety while maintaining a consistent interpretive voice throughout. The production is spacious and warm, allowing the piano's resonance to bloom naturally. For listeners drawn to keyboard music of the Baroque period who want a performance that foregrounds musicality over period correctness, Ólafsson offers an exceptionally satisfying entry point into Rameau's underperformed genius.