Víkingur Ólafsson: Winter Warmers

“Here is a mix of some familiar songs and certainly also some less familiar ones—music that warms up any house (and heart!) it enters,” Víkingur Ólafsson tells Apple Music about his Winter Warmers playlist. The pianist cites Christmas and New Year as his favourite time of year, a chance to be at home in Iceland with his family. Understandably then, his choices are heart-lifting ones. Beginning with the sacred (Calmus Ensemble singing Max Reger) and ending on the seasonal (Ryuichi Sakamoto’s piano version of “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence”), it’s a selection perfect for wrapping yourself up in by the fireside, on a crisp morning walk or wherever you choose to spend the cooler days. “I didn’t overthink it,” Ólafsson says, “just selected a few pearls that are regularly in my headphones over the winter months.”