Olli Mustonen (born 7 June 1967 in

Vantaa Vantaa (; sv, Vanda, ) is a city and Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. It is part of the inner core of the Greater Helsinki, Finnish Capital Region along with Helsinki, Espoo, and Kauniainen. With a population of (), Vantaa i ...

, Finland) is a Finnish

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

, conductor, and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Biography

Mustonen studied

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

and piano from the age of five with

Ralf Gothóni Ralf Georg Nils Gothóni (born 2 May 1946, Rauma) is a Finnish-German pianist and conductor. He is also active as a chamber musician, professor, composer, and author. Born in Rauma, Finland he made his orchestra debut at age 15. Besides his worl ...

and then Eero Heinonen. He studied composition with

Einojuhani Rautavaara Einojuhani Rautavaara (; 9 October 1928 – 27 July 2016) was a Finnish composer of classical music. Among the most notable Finnish composers since Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), Rautavaara wrote a List of compositions by Einojuhani Rautavaara, gre ...

from 1975 and in 1987 won the

Young Concert Artists International Auditions Young Concert Artists is a New York City-based non-profit organization dedicated to discovering and promoting the careers of talented young classical musicians from all over the world. The competition, founded in 1961, allows artists from all over ...

, which led to his New York City recital debut at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

. His debut solo piano recording for Decca, of the cycles of preludes by

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throug ...

and

Charles-Valentin Alkan Charles-Valentin Alkan (; 30 November 1813 – 29 March 1888) was a French Jewish composer and virtuoso pianist. At the height of his fame in the 1830s and 1840s he was, alongside his friends and colleagues Frédéric Chopin and Franz Lisz ...

, won both the

Gramophone A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

and Edison Awards. In addition to Decca, he has also made recordings for RCA and Ondine, notably of works by

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

and various modern Russian composers. Mustonen has performed with numerous major international orchestras and is regarded as "one of the internationally best-known pianists of his generation." He has been

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...

of the Korsholm Music Festival in 1988 and the Turku Music Festival from 1990 to 1992. He is co-

founder Founder or Founders may refer to: Places *Founders Park, a stadium in South Carolina, formerly known as Carolina Stadium * Founders Park, a waterside park in Islamorada, Florida Arts, entertainment, and media * Founders (''Star Trek''), the ali ...

and director of the Helsinki Festival Orchestra, and since 2003 has conducted the

chamber orchestra Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numbe ...

Tapiola Sinfonietta. He performed the world premiere of

Rodion Shchedrin Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin ( rus, Родион Константинович Щедрин, , rədʲɪˈon kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ ɕːɪˈdrʲin; born 16 December 1932) is a Soviet and Russian composer and pianist, winner of USSR State ...

's Piano Concerto No. 5 ("Four Russian Songs", 1998), which was dedicated to him, with

Esa-Pekka Salonen Esa-Pekka Salonen (; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. He is principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and music di ...

and the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...

, on 11 October 1999. As a composer, his work shows a "predilection for contrapunctally interwoven compositions and works of the 20th century which take up ideas from the 17th and 18th centuries, for example the Bach arrangements by

Ferruccio Busoni Ferruccio Busoni (1 April 1866 – 27 July 1924) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading musicians, artists and literary ...

and the cycles of preludes and fugues by

Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ''Ne ...

or Shostakovich."

Recordings

As pianist unless otherwise stated. *

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

: The works for

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

and piano ( Isabelle van Keulen, violin) –

Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. It was founded as Philips Phonographische Industrie in 1950. In 1946, Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Decca's Dutch outlet in A ...

(1987/1988) *''A Portrait of Olli Mustonen'' s composer and pianist Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra ( Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra/Juha Kangas); Six Bagatelles for Piano; Three Preludes for Piano; Ballade for Piano; On all Fours for Piano Four Hands (Raija Kerppo, hands 3 and 4); Three Simple Pieces for Cello and Piano (Martti Rousi,

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

); Gavotte for Piano; Two Meditations for Piano; Toccata for Piano, String Quartet and Double Bass (

Orion String Quartet The Orion String Quartet is a string quartet formed in 1987. It is the quartet-in-residence of New York's Mannes College The New School for Music. The members are Todd and Daniel Phillips, brothers who alternate on first and second violin, violis ...

; Esko Laine,

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

) –

Finlandia Records Warner Classics is the classical music arm of Warner Music Group. The label began issuing new recordings under the Warner Classics banner in 1991. The company also includes the Erato Records, Teldec Records and NVC Arts labels. Based in France, W ...

(1989/1990) *

Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...

: 24 Preludes, op.34;

: 25 Preludes, op.31 –

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

(1991) *

Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ( rus, link=no, Модест Петрович Мусоргский, Modest Petrovich Musorgsky , mɐˈdɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈmusərkskʲɪj, Ru-Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky version.ogg; – ) was a Russian compo ...

Pictures at an Exhibition ''Pictures at an Exhibition'', french: Tableaux d'une exposition, link=no is a suite (music), suite of ten piano pieces, plus a recurring, varied Promenade theme, composed by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874. The piece is Mussorgsky's ...

; Tchaikovsky: Children's Album; Balakirev: Islamey –

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

(1993) *

: Piano

variations Variation or Variations may refer to: Science and mathematics * Variation (astronomy), any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite, particularly of the moon * Genetic variation, the difference in DNA among individuals ...

WoO 69, op.76, WoO 79, WoO 78, WoO 80, WoO 70, op.35, WoO 71 – Decca Records (1994) *Stravinsky:

Piano Concerto A piano concerto is a type of concerto, a solo composition in the classical music genre which is composed for a piano player, which is typically accompanied by an orchestra or other large ensemble. Piano concertos are typically virtuoso showpiec ...

; Capriccio; Movements for Piano & Orchestra (

Vladimir Ashkenazy Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy (russian: Влади́мир Дави́дович Ашкена́зи, ''Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazi''; born 6 July 1937) is an internationally recognized solo pianist, chamber music performer, and conductor. He ...

, conductor; Deutscher-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin) – London Records (1994) *Beethoven: Piano Concerto, op.61a after the

Violin Concerto A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ensemble (customarily orchestra). Such works have been written since the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up thro ...

; Bach: Piano Concerto BWV 1054 (

Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen (''unofficial English translation'': Bremen German Chamber Philharmonic) is a chamber orchestra based in Bremen (Germany), with place of residence in the historical building Stadtwaage. History A group of ...

/ Jukka-Pekka Saraste) – Decca Records (1994) * Prokofiev: Violin Sonatas 1 & 2, Music for Violin and Piano ( Joshua Bell, violin) – Decca Records (1995) * Grieg:

; Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 ( San Francisco Symphony Orchestra/

Herbert Blomstedt Herbert Thorson Blomstedt (; born 11 July 1927) is a Swedish conductor. Herbert Blomstedt was born in Massachusetts. Two years after his birth, his Swedish parents moved the family back to their country of origin. He studied at the Stockholm Ro ...

) – Decca Records (1996) * Janáček/Shostakovich/Prokofiev: Works For Cello & Piano ( Steven Isserlis, cello) –

RCA Red Seal RCA Red Seal is a classical music label whose origin dates to 1902 and is currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment. History The first "Gramophone Record Red Seal" discs were issued in 1901.Visions fugitives ''Visions fugitives'', Opus number, Op. 22, is a cycle of twenty piano miniatures by Sergei Prokofiev. The seventh piece was also published for harp. They were written between 1915 and 1917, individually, many for specific friends of the composer ...

;

Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ' ...

: ''

Ludus tonalis ''Ludus Tonalis'' ("Play of Tones", "Tonal Game", or "Tonal Primary School" after the Latin ''Ludus Litterarius''), subtitled ''Kontrapunktische, tonale, und Klaviertechnische Übungen'' (''Counterpoint, tonal and technical studies for the piano ...

'' – Decca Records (1996) *Beethoven: Airs and variations, op.105; Ländler, WoO 11; Variations, WoO 77; Rondo, op.51/1; Variations, WoO 68; Minuet, WoO 82; Ecossaises, WoO 83; Bagatelles, op.126; Allegretto, WoO 61 – London Records (1996) * Bach: 12 Preludes & Fugues from

The Well-Tempered Clavier ''The Well-Tempered Clavier'', BWV 846–893, consists of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach. In the composer's time, ''clavier'', meaning keyboard, referred to a variety of in ...

, Book 1; Shostakovich: 12 of 24 Preludes & Fugues, Op. 87 – RCA Red Seal (1999) *Beethoven:

Diabelli Variations The ''33 Variations on a waltz by Anton Diabelli'', Op. 120, commonly known as the ''Diabelli Variations'', is a set of variations for the piano written between 1819 and 1823 by Ludwig van Beethoven on a waltz composed by Anton Diabelli. It for ...

– RCA Red Seal (1999) *

Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century. His m ...

: Quatuor pour la fin du temps; Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 2 (

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

; Joshua Bell, violin; Steven Isserlis, cello) – Decca Records (2000) *Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 ( City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/ Sakari Oramo) – Image Entertainment DVD (2000)YouTube – Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 3 part 1 – Olli Mustonen
/ref> * Shchedrin: Cello Concerto, Seagull Suite ( Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra; Olli Mustonen, conductor) – Ondine Records (2001) *Olli Mustonen: Triple Concerto; Petite Suite; Nonets Nos. 1 & 2 (

Tapiola Sinfonietta The Tapiola Sinfonietta (founded 1987) is a city orchestra of Espoo, Finland. The orchestra consists of 41 members and its principal concert venue is Tapiola Hall (with 773 seats) at the Espoo Cultural Centre. At the beginning Jorma Panula, Osmo V ...

; Olli Mustonen, conductor) – Ondine Records (2001) *''Mustonen plays Sibelius'': Pieces, Op. 58; Jääkärien marssi, op.91a; Pieces, op.76; Rondinos, op.68; Bagatelles, op.34 – Ondine Records (2003) *Sibelius: Symphony No. 3; Hindemith: The Four Temperaments ( Helsinki Festival Orchestra; Olli Mustonen, conductor) – Ondine Records (2003) *

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

: Violin Concertos 3, 4 & 5 (Tapiola Sinfonietta; Pekka Kuusisto, violin; Olli Mustonen, conductor) – Ondine Records (2003) *Bach & Shostakovich: Preludes & Fugues Vol.2 ompletes the collections began in the 1999 recording– Ondine Records (2004) *Prokofiev: Cinderella Suite, Music for Children – Ondine Records (2006) * Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 1; Tchaikovsky: The Seasons – Ondine Records (2006) *Beethoven: Piano Concertos 1 & 2 (Tapiola Sinfonietta; Olli Mustonen, piano & conductor) – Ondine Records (2007) *Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 & Piano Concerto, op.61a (Tapiola Sinfonietta; Olli Mustonen, piano & conductor) – Ondine Records (2007) *Beethoven: Piano Concertos 4 & 5 (Tapiola Sinfonietta; Olli Mustonen, piano & conductor) – Ondine Records (2009) *

Respighi Ottorino Respighi ( , , ; 9 July 187918 April 1936) was an Italian composer, violinist, teacher, and musicologist and one of the leading Italian composers of the early 20th century. His compositions range over operas, ballets, orchestral suit ...

: Concerto in modo misolydio (

Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Finnish: ''Radion sinfoniaorkesteri'', Swedish: ''Radions symfoniorkester'') is a Finnish broadcast orchestra based in Helsinki, and the orchestra of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle). The orchestra prima ...

/ Sakari Oramo) – Ondine Records (2010) * Scriabin: 12 Etudes, Op. 8, 6 Preludes, Op. 13, 5 Preludes, Op. 16, Piano Sonata No. 10, Op. 70,

Vers la flamme __NOTOC__ ''Vers la flamme'' (''Toward the flame''), Op. 72, is one of Alexander Scriabin's last pieces for piano, written in 1914. The main motif of the piece consists of descending half steps or whole steps interspersed with impressionistic re ...

(Poème), Op. 72 – Ondine Records (2012)

Compositions

For a complete list, see the external link for the Finnish Music Information Centre. *Divertimento (1979) for

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

*Fantasia (1985) for piano and strings *Toccata (1989) for piano,

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...

and

*Two Nonets (1995, 2000) for two string quartets and double bass *Concerto for Three

Violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

s (1998) *''Sinuhe'' – sonata for solo

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

(2005–2006) *''Jehkin Iivana'' – sonata for

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

(2004) or piano (2006) *Sonata for

and piano (2006) *Symphony No. 1 ''Tuuri'' (2012) for

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

and orchestra *String Quintet No. 1 (2015) *String Quartet No. 1 (2017) His composition style combines elements of the neo-classical, neo-baroque and

romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

idioms, and he has also used minimalist patterns: 'The Baroque elements echo

's '' Pulcinella'' or the stylizations of Martinů or

Ottorino Respighi Ottorino Respighi ( , , ; 9 July 187918 April 1936) was an Italian composer, violinist, teacher, and musicologist and one of the leading Italian composers of the early 20th century. List of compositions by Ottorino Respighi, His compositions r ...

; these elements dominate the vivacious and rhythmic fast movements, whereas the slow movements are emphatically Romantic.'

References

External links

Music Finland: Olli MustonenHazard Chase Management: Olli MustonenOndine Records: Olli MustonenSchott Music: Olli Mustonen
May 14, 1991 {{DEFAULTSORT:Mustonen, Olli 1967 births Living people People from Vantaa Finnish classical pianists Finnish conductors (music) Finnish classical composers 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers Contemporary classical music performers Sibelius Academy alumni Eurovision Young Musicians Finalists Finnish male classical composers Male classical pianists 20th-century conductors (music) 21st-century conductors (music) 21st-century classical pianists 20th-century male musicians 21st-century male musicians 20th-century Finnish composers 21st-century Finnish composers