This is the kind of serious, intelligent and virtuosic music-making that keeps classical music alive. - The Observer

Pianist Kirill Gerstein is a real phenomenon... The great musical landmarks of this evening were entertaining yet full of depth... Gerstein presents himself as a true artist, as a poet of sound who knows how to cast a spell on his listeners. - Der Tagesspiegel

Kirill Gerstein is one of the greatest pianists of our time. He is renowned for his wide-ranging repertoire, from Baroque to jazz and contemporary music. He was awarded the prestigious Gilmore Prize in 2010.

Gerstein works closely with the world's leading orchestras, conductors and composers. He is also a regular guest with many Finnish orchestras.

Gerstein has premiered works by Thomas Adès and Francisco Coll and recorded extensively with music by Rachmaninoff, Gershwin and Tchaikovsky. His critically acclaimed projects include the innovative Music in Time of War album. In the current season, he has appeared as soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Concertgebouw Orchestra, among others.

The programme for the final concert of the Mänttä Music Festival brings together composers and styles from different eras around the theme of flowers. The programme includes works that reflect romantic sensibility, modern experimentalism and dance elegance.

The concert begins with Robert Schumann's delicately inspired Blumenstück op. 19, followed by Thomas Adès' Az ág (The Branch), the composer's original and modern interpretation of a theme inspired by nature. Schumann's Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26, brings energetic joy and a festive atmosphere to the opening part of the programme.

After the intermission, the programme continues with György Kurtág's minimalist and impressive Flowers We Are... (Játékok, Vol. 1), where musical expression is crystallised through simple gestures. Adès' Thrift brings rhythmic surprises. 

Sergei Rachmaninov's Lilacs, Op. 21/5, creates a moment of nostalgia before Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, with its Flower Waltz, leads the audience into a fairytale dance.

Francisco Collin's Two Waltzes Towards Civilisation bridges the traditional and the modern, inspired by Lorca's poetic visions. The programme concludes with Maurice Ravel's monumental La Valse, which combines elegant dance and existential drama.

Artistic director of the Mänttä Music Festival, Niklas Pokki, will give an introduction to the concert (in Finnish) in the Kivijärvi hall at 18. The concert ends approximately at 20.15.

Photo: Marco Borggreve