Even within the context of a triumphant world tour with J. S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, the Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson’s Carnegie Hall debut in February 2024 stood out as something special. This season, he’s on the road with the kind of mixed bag perhaps only he would dream up, juxtaposing Bach, latish-to-late Beethoven, and neglected early Schubert. But for a brief scherzo in the Schubert, the entire program is anchored in the keys of E major and minor. To illuminati, the implications of tonality can be profound. Never mind if you think they’re over your head. Listen deeply and let Ólafsson guide you. —Matthew Gurewitsch