Contact
Maike Charlotte Fuchsmf@karstenwitt.com+49 30 214 594 -220
Maï Handalmh@karstenwitt.com t +49 30 214 594 -229
Local Management Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Olli Mustonen talks about an early musical key experience, two new compositions and the special meaning that the Paul Hindemith Award bears for him.
Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Olli Mustonen has a unique place on today’s music scene. Following the tradition of great masters such as Rachmaninov, Busoni and Enescu, Mustonen combines the roles of his musicianship as composer, pianist and conductor in an equal balance that is quite exceptional, often bringing them together in one fascinating triple role performance. This season, he takes up the position of Principal Guest Conductor of the Lapland Chamber Orchestra at the beginning of 2023 where he will combine orchestral concerts with chamber music and recitals.
During an illustrious career, Mustonen has brought his extraordinary musical insight to many of world’s most significant orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestras, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orkest, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Tonhalle Orhester Zürich, and all the London orchestras.
Recipient of the 2019 Hindemith Prize of the City of Hanau, Mustonen’s life as a composer is at the heart of his piano playing and conducting. Frequently bringing his own works to the chamber music stage, the world premiere of his work Taivaanvalot (Heavenly Lights) for Tenor, Cello and Piano was performed at Het Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam, by Mustonen himself, alongside Ian Bostridge and Steven Isserlis. Additional performances took place at London’s Wigmore Hall and in Hong Kong. A further world premiere was his new string sextet, commissioned by the Beethoven Festival Bonn and first performed there in February 2020. This season sees the premiere of Mustonen’s new work, a tribute to Pablo Casals commissioned by the Kronberg Academy, at the opening gala of the Casals Forum in Kronberg, Germany.
Alongside his continuing work in Turku, this season he returns to Camerata Zürich for the second consecutive season as Artist in Residence and goes on a fifteen-concert tour in Australia with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Following that, he returns to Japan to perform with Herbert Blomstedt and the NHK Symphony Orchestra as well as a series of recitals in Tokyo, and returns to London’s Wigmore Hall for a full cycle of Prokofiev sonatas. Elsewhere in Finland, he joins the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Lahti Sinfonia and Dalia Stasevska for a performance of Rautavaara’s Piano Concerto No.3 to coincide with the release of a CD featuring that work alongside Martinu’s third piano concerto.
Last season, Mustonen joined Prague Philharmonia and RSO Wien for Martinu’s Piano Concerto No.3. Further afield, he returned to Brazil for his triple role, conducting the Orquesta Filarmonica de Minas Gerais, performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.25, and opening the programme with one of his own compositions – The Old Church at Petajavesi. Coinciding with his triple-role appearance with the Lapland Chamber Orchestra was the announcement of his appointment as Principal Guest Conductor designate of the orchestra. With Steven Isserlis, he toured London, Milan, and Turin.
In 2021, Mustonen officially commenced his directorship of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra where he was fortunate to be able to conduct regularly forming a strong connection with the musicians and explore a range of repertoire from Beethoven to Bartok to Rautavaara. Spending a substantial amount of time in Finland, he also joined the Finnish Radio Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic and Jyväskylä Symphony Orchestras amongst others.
As a recitalist, Mustonen has appeared in recent seasons at the Lockenhaus Festival, Diaghilev Festival Perm, Dresden Festival, Cal Performances Berkeley, Symphony Center Chicago, New York Zankel Hall and Sydney Opera House. With Steven Isserlis, Mustonen has performed as a duo for more than thirty years. 2019 saw the release of their disc of Russian works for cello and piano on the Hyperion label.
Particularly close to Mustonen’s heart are the piano concertos of Beethoven, Prokofiev, and Bartok, all of which he has performed with leading orchestras. His repertoire also includes Respighi’s Concerto in modo misolidio, which he has recorded with the Finnish Radio Symphony and Sakari Oramo on the Ondine label. A recently completed recording project has been all of Bartok’s and Prokofiev’s piano concertos, also for the Ondine label.
Born in Helsinki, Olli Mustonen began his studies in piano, harpsichord and composition at the age of five. Initially learning with Ralf Gothoni, he subsequently studied piano with Eero Heinonen and composition with Einojuhani Rautavaara.
Season 2022/23
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Triple
Exemplary Programmes with Olli Mustonen as a soloist, conductor and composerJ. S. Bach: Concerto for Keyboard in D major BWV1054P. Hindemith: The Four Temperaments for piano and stringsO. Mustonen: Sonata for Cello and OrchestraD. Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 9 (arr. string orchestra)B. Smetana: The Bartered Bride OvertureA. Dvořák: Cello ConcertoO. Mustonen: Symphony No. 2 Johannes AngelosO. Mustonen: The Old Church at PetäjävesiW. A. Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 26S. Prokofjev: Symphony No. 6
Recitals
SoloP. Tchaikovsky: Album for the Youth, Op. 39D. Shostakovitch: Sonata No. 2, Op. 61R. Shchedrin: Notebook for Young PeopleO. Mustonen: Sonata Jehkin IivanaS. Prokofjev: Sonate No. 7
All ProkofjevAll piano sonatas in two recitals in a row
Duo with Steven IsserlisD. Shostakovich: Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor, Op. 40O. Mustonen: Cello SonataS. Prokofiev: Ballade in C minor for cello and piano, Op. 15 OR Sibelius, Jean: MalincoliaD. Kabalevsky: Cello Sonata, Op. 71
“Furious crossrhythms and accented repeated notes relent to hymnal lyricism in Olli Mustonen’s First String Quartet...Mustonen is the composer-pianist in the 2014 Piano Quintet, which opens with a Rite of Spring-ish Drammatico e passionato movement...Sensitive interplay between piano and strings lifts the quieter moments, which are well balanced in this recording."
BBC Music Magazine, January 2023
“Mustonen’s individuality and intellectual enquiry were immediately apparent… His was a performance which ranks amongst the finest for the instrument that I have experienced in some time. There was a sense of eavesdropping on a master pianist playing for his own pleasure…”
Limelight, Brett Allen-Bayes, 04/10/2022
“[Mustonen’s quintet], in a concert filled with musical gems, [was] the crowning glory.(…) Mustonen and the Australian Chamber Orchestra have succeeded in combining unparalleled virtuosity with unashamed entertainment value.”
Limelight, Jansson J. Antmann, 23/09/2022
“The Finnish pianist, conductor, and composer Olli Mustonen shows enormous courage in presenting the first part of his programme at the Ruhr Piano Festival in the Stadthalle Mülheim on Saturday evening with varied and contrasting piano gems by Sibelius, Mustonen, and Scriabin. The result is simply magnificent and is heard all too rarely heard on stage.”
MAZ Mülheim, July 2022
“Isserlis and Mustonen make a strong case for [the Kabalevsky Sonata] in a performance of grand gestures that proves a real roller coaster ride. Isserlis’s intensity and Mustonen’s pianistic weight suit the piece wonderfully well, and the tolling opening chords sound at once solemn and threatening [...]. Isserlis and Mustonen play [the Rondo in memory of Prokofiev] with the combination of lyricism and drama that characterises the rest of the disc. Very fine.”
Gramophone, February 2019
“Mustonen provides the turbulent counterpoint [...] playing with great gentleness and delicacy one moment, before an eruption of glittering notes propelled with a febrile intensity that reminds me of Shostakovich himself at the piano. It’s a fascinating partnership and, I think, a hugely rewarding performance [...] such a tremendous account [...] an intimately truthful recording as well [...] it’s my Recording of the Week.”
BBC Record Review, February 2019
“Olli Mustonen plays with bags of energy and vigour, match by the Orchestra and Conductor.”
BBC Music Magazine, Nov '16 – on the Prokofiev CD
“In Mustonen’s reading there is a real sense of journey as he traverses the 25 studies and there is greater tonal variation, expressive range and playfulness in his playing, which I find helps the listener to feel more involved in this music. [...] Mustonen is extremely persuasive in the way he sheds new light on this music, making it more accessible – ideal, I would say, for winning new admirers to the work.”
GRAMOPHONE, on Prokofjew’s Vision fugitives, CD recording Decca 444803
Olli Mustonen plays Hindemiths Vier Temperamente with Finnish Radio under Hannu Lintu
Olli Mustonen plays Hindemiths Vier Temperamente
Finnish Radio Symphony OrchestraHannu Lintu, Dirigent
In Focus: Olli Mustonen
Live in the Studio: Olli Mustonen
Olli Mustonen speaks about Jehkin Iivana
Olli Mustonen at SWR 2 Porträt "Zur Person"
Olli Mustonen, Engegård Quartet
Lawo Classics, 2022, LWC 1243
Olli Mustonen (piano), Steven Isserlis (cello)
Hyperion, 2019, CDA68239
Olli Mustonen (piano), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hannu Lintu (conductor)
ONDINE, 2017, ODE 1288-2
ONDINE, 2016, ODE 1244-2
Olli Mustonen (piano) und Steven Isserlis (cello)
BIS, 2014, BIS - 2042
Olli Mustonen (piano)
ONDINE, 2012, ODE 1184-2
Olli Mustonen (conductor), Helsinki Festival Orchestra
ONDINE, 2012, FUGA9335
Olli Mustonen (piano), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo (conductor)
ONDINE, 2010, ODE 1165-2