Debussy – Rameau

With every album, Iceland’s Víkingur Ólafsson consolidates his position as one of music’s most imaginative and communicative pianists. Here, he brings together two composers he considers soulmates, despite their having lived 200 years apart. Easily assimilating Rameau’s harpsichord works for the piano, Ólafsson makes this music live with winning flair and style. His Debussy is equally alluring; these miniatures create images before the eyes as the beautifully recorded piano becomes our guide. Resist the temptation to dip in and out of the album: Let Ólafsson challenge and seduce with his perfectly judged programming. And savor his ravishing transcription, “The Arts and the Hours.”

Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson isn't the first to put the two composers together in a program, but it's rarely been done as well as it is here.