Pearly touch, singing tone and sensitivity…. [Pohjonen] demonstrated his elegant musicianship throughout the program. - The New York Times

Juho Pohjonen has captivated audiences in Europe, Asia and North America with his undeniable skill and measured interpretations. He has performed a wide range of works by Finnish composers including Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kaija Saariaho and Jean Sibelius.

This season Pohjonen's appearances include a performance of Grieg's Piano Concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra and a recital at London's Wigmore Hall. In the United States, he continues his long association with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and performs with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

Juho Pohjonen's concert presents a fascinating programme ranging from classical to contemporary music. The evening opens with Jyrki Linjama's new piano work Prélude oublié, which will receive its Finnish premiere.

Franz Liszt's Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata is inspired by Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. The work takes the listener deep into the borderland between hell and paradise, and its intense drama and philosophical undertones have made it one of Liszt's most famous works.

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata op. 27/1, 'Quasi una fantasia', challenges the boundaries of the traditional sonata and reveals Beethoven's bold visionary spirit. 

The concert concludes with Messiaen's Kiss of the Child Jesus, which expresses Messiaen's mystical relationship with faith and his love of the colours and textures of music.

Artistic director of the Mänttä Music Festival, Niklas Pokki, will give an introduction to the concert (in Finnish) in the Kivijärvi hall at 12.30. The concert ends approximately at 14.15.

Photo: Lisa-Marie Mazzucco