Works for piano (Includes 10 Pieces for Piano, Op. 58 & 13 Pieces for Piano, Op. 76)

"Oli Mustonen has one of the most distinctive pianistic personalities of our day."
(Gramophone)

Olli Mustonen has established himself as one of the most exciting pianists of his time. His brilliant technique and startling interpretations have challenged and fascinated audiences throughout Europe and America.

Born in Helsinki, he began his studies in piano, harpsichord and composition at the age of five. His first piano teacher was Ralf Gothoni and he subsequently studied piano with Eero Heinonen and composition with Einojuhani Rautavaara.

At the heart of his piano playing is his life as a composer, the deeply held conviction that each performance must have all the freshness of a first performance, so that audience and performer alike encounter the composer as a living contemporary. For Mustonen, to follow traditional interpretations unthinkingly is uncreative, but every bit as uncreative is the performance that seeks only to be different.

Mustonen has worked with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, London Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw, and with conductors including Ashkenazy, Barenboim, Berglund, Boulez, Chung, Dutoit, Eschenbach, Salonen, Saraste, Tennstedt, and Vegh. In recital, he frequently plays in the world's music capitals including London, Vienna, Paris, Tokyo and Berlin, appears at leading festivals such as Ravinia and the Hollywood Bowl, and enjoys significant chamber collaborations with partners including Steven Isserlis, Pekka Kuusisto and Joshua Bell.

Olli Mustonen's recording catalogue is already broad based and exceptionally distinguished. His release of Preludes by Shostakovich and Alkan received the Edison Award and Gramophone Award for the Best Instrumental Recording in 1992. Autumn 2002 Olli Mustonen signed a new recording contract with Ondine Records.

Ondine has already championed Mustonen as a conductor and as a composer. This new contract extends to several brand-new projects featuring the multi-talented Mustonen as a pianist.