Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson Reaches One Billion Streams 

The Icelandic pianist’s recordings for Deutsche Grammophon have surpassed one billion career streams worldwide 

Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson has achieved a significant career milestone with one billion streams worldwide with recordings on the Deutsche Grammophon (DG) record label. 

His latest Bach EP “CONTINUUM,” has reached over 14 million streams, making him the most streamed living pianist of the year for performances of Bach.

“When I play Bach, I am reminded that historical eras in music are notions we superimpose on what is essentially a continuum: an unbroken thread linking us all, a running stream flowing through us,” Ólafsson said on the album, an ongoing tribute to Bach’s artistry. 

Further, Ólafsson’s 2023 “Goldberg Variations” album alone has garnered over 88 million streams. For the same album, he also received an OPUS KLASSIK Bestseller award and his first GRAMMY nomination in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category. 

Additionally, Ólafsson was recently named Musical America’s Instrumentalist of the Year. He has also been a two-time winner of the Opus Klassik Solo Recording of the Year and been the recipient of the BBC Music Magazine Album of the Year. 

His upcoming projects in early 2025 include performing with fellow DG artist Yuja Wang for the North American continuation of the duo tour they launched in Reykjavík in October 2024 and went on to perform across Europe. 

In February, the duo is scheduled to perform at Carnegie Hall and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. 

“Guys, thank you, one billion streams. I can’t believe it,” Ólafsson said in a video on Facebook. “To see the music doing so well, to know you’re listening throughout the whole world, thank you. 

“The fact that Víkingur Ólafsson is reaching an extraordinary streaming milestone and receiving his first GRAMMY nomination at the same time may seem like a coincidence, but there is also a great inner logic behind it: Víkingur inspires both a younger generation of culturally curious listeners and the established classical music scene like no other artist,” said DG’s President,  Dr. Clemens Trautmann in the press release. “Heartfelt congratulations to this outstanding pianist and the smoothly connected teams behind him, including his management, our PR and live partners and – last but not least – my colleagues at the Yellow Label.”

“When Víkingur joined the label, we started with a total monthly listenership in the triple digits across streaming platforms,” added DG Vice President A&R New Repertoire Christian Badzura. “One billion streams to date proves that with supreme artistic integrity, unique choice of repertoire, exceptional interpretations, and a tirelessly focused team great things are possible.”

“Víkingur is an exceptional artist who has inspired us from the very beginning to explore new, innovative paths of creativity,” commented DG’s Senior Marketing Director Special Projects Marc Fritsch. “He stands among the most celebrated pianists of our time and we are proud to be part of this unique success story.”