Perttu Päivö Kullervo Kivilaakso is a cello player for Finnish band
Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Helsinki, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso, and jazz drummer Mikko Sirén. Originally a classical ...
.
Like fellow band members
Eicca Toppinen
Eino Matti "Eicca" Toppinen (born 5 August 1975) is a Finnish cellist
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four str ...
and
Paavo Lötjönen
Paavo Lötjönen (born 29 July 1968) is a cello player for Finnish band Apocalyptica.
Paavo comes from a family where both of his parents were professional musicians. At the age of 6, he took a cello and decided that would be the instrument he ...
, he attended
Sibelius Academy
The Sibelius Academy ( fi, Taideyliopiston Sibelius-Akatemia, sv, Sibelius-Akademin vid Konstuniversitetet) is part of the University of the Arts Helsinki and a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It al ...
in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
.
He plays a German 19th century cello; he started playing the cello when he was 5 years old and joined
Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Helsinki, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso, and jazz drummer Mikko Sirén. Originally a classical ...
for their third studio album ''
Cult
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...
''.
Kivilaakso played in Apocalyptica's 1995 line up, but he was concentrating on his studies when the band began their professional career. At the end of 1999 he came back,
switching places with
Antero Manninen
Antero Manninen (born 19 January 1973), also known as ‘‘‘Mr. Cool’’’, is a session musician and former band member of Finnish Cello metal quartet Apocalyptica. He was an official member but did not write the music and left in 1999 due ...
, who then went to play in a classical orchestra.
Career
Kivilaakso won third place in the second International Paulo Cello Competition in 1996 at age 18. Shortly afterward, he attained a lifetime chair in the Helsinki Philharmonic orchestra,
where his father, Juhani, is also a cellist. He was on indefinite leave while touring with
Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Helsinki, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso, and jazz drummer Mikko Sirén. Originally a classical ...
, but left for good in 2007.
Kivilaakso has also composed music for the video game ''
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne'', a few documentary films, as well as many original compositions for
Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Helsinki, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso, and jazz drummer Mikko Sirén. Originally a classical ...
, including "Conclusion," "Farewell" and "Beautiful."
His first opera, composed with his Apocalyptica bandmate
Eicca Toppinen
Eino Matti "Eicca" Toppinen (born 5 August 1975) is a Finnish cellist
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four str ...
, was premiered at the
Finnish National Opera
The Finnish National Opera and Ballet ( fi, Suomen Kansallisooppera ja -baletti; sv, Finlands Nationalopera och -balett) is a Finnish opera company and ballet company based in Helsinki. It is headquartered in the Opera House on the coast of the T ...
on 22 January 2016. The opera, entitled ''
Indigo
Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', m ...
'', tells "a story of an omnipotent, multinational company and a search for happiness."
Personal life
As of late 2019, Kivilaakso was living with his wife and a dog. They have no children.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kivilaakso, Perttu
20th-century Finnish male musicians
21st-century Finnish male musicians
Apocalyptica members
Finnish classical cellists
Finnish heavy metal cellists
Finnish male composers
Finnish opera composers
Living people
Male opera composers
Musicians from Helsinki
Sibelius Academy alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)
20th-century Finnish composers
21st-century Finnish composers