TRANSCRIBE, TRANSFORM WITH VÍKINGUR ÓLAFSSON

A creative musical journey with pianist Víkingur Ólafsson

Client: BBC Radio 3 / BBC Sounds

Brief: 3 part series Transcribe, Transform, presented by Víkingur Ólafsson

Tandem process: Booked Víkingur Ólafsson to prepare and present programmes sitting at the piano in a Reykjavik studio. Researched and built playlists and provided Víkingur with a bullet-pointed script from which he and the Tandem producer improvised the presentation. The audio was then shaped and edited to form 3 x 1 hour programmes. 

Project

Tandem contacted global superstar Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson to ask him to present a series for BBC Radio 3 exploring the art of musical transcription. From electronic re-workings of Bach and Debussy to rock 'n’ roll Tchaikovsky and transcribed sounds of the natural world, Víkingur and the Tandem team unearthed a huge range of amazingly creative music. 

The team worked with colleagues at Icelandic Radio to secure a studio and high quality lines to London for recording the programmes. The links were formed through recording a conversation between presenter and producer, with the producer’s comments and questions being edited out in post-production editing, ensuring a fluent and relaxed delivery.

The resulting programmes are intimate, thought-provoking and enlightening guides to a kaleidoscopic collection of fascinating music, and they are an example of how Tandem can work remotely to the highest creative and technical standards.