Pianist Alice Sara Ott - Jóhann Jóhannsson: Piano Works (Deutsche Grammophon)
“So, I went to Iceland and we recorded on these old instruments that were far from being perfect,” says pianist Alice Sara Ott. “We went to all kinds of bars in search of old bar pianos, and whenever we found a bar piano, we made a deal with the bar owner that we would buy two glasses of whiskey and they would let us record.”
Ott is talking about the first time she went to Iceland to make a recording. The experience was part of The Chopin Project, a project which was executed alongside Icelandic pop/classical musician Olafur Arnalds and aimed to explore a new take on Frédéric Chopin’s music. The experience helped shape her artistic identity to the point that she recently returned to Iceland for another project: to record the music of Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson. This new project features some of Jóhannsson’s orchestral works reimagined for solo piano, including some of his film scores. These world premiere recordings were also created on a very special instrument.
Listen to the full episode above, and find the extended interview in the audio player at top.
Resources
Pianist Alice Sara Ott - Jóhann Jóhannsson: Piano Works (Deutsche Grammophon)
Pianist Alice Sara Ott - Jóhann Jóhannsson: Piano Works (Amazon)
Pianist Alice Sara Ott (official site)
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