The Mänttä Music Festival will be held on August 1–5, 2023 at the prestigious Serlachius Art Museum Gösta’s Pavilion, in Mänttä-Vilppula, Central Finland.
The performers will include Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Boris Giltburg, Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, Juhani Lagerspetz, Paul Lewis, Gabriela Montero, Piotr Pawlak, and Tiffany Poon.
Many of the artists will perform the very music that has brought them to world fame: Paul Lewis will play Schubert’s Sonatas, Boris Giltburg will perform a program with Rachmaninoff’s Preludes, Juhani Lagerspetz’ will play Beethoven's Hammerklavier sonata and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’s program is planned around the music of Haydn and Ravel. Gabriela Montero will end her recital with the improvisations for which she has gained global acclaim. Indeed, the concerts will feature the most brilliant gems in these world-class pianists' repertoires.
In addition, young stars who are paving the way to the future of piano music, such as Tiffany Poon, Jeneba Kanneh-Mason and Piotr Pawlak—the winner of the Maj Lind Piano Competition—will take the stage. The Youth Piano Academy’s tenth anniversary will also be celebrated.
"A solo concert enables a huge spectrum of emotions, a unique and sensitive connection between the audience and the artist. That's why we want to focus on top-class piano recitals and organize them better than anyone else,’ says artistic director Niklas Pokki."We want to give a forum to various interesting personalities and their musical fantasy".
The main concert venue of the Mänttä Music Festival is the Serlachius Museum Gösta’s Pavillon, which seats an audience of about two hundred people. "The festival's intimate venue is an asset," said Pokki.
"We can offer a unique concert experience that is not possible in the large arenas where these pianists usually perform. In the charming milieu of the Serlachius Museum, the surrounding nature is always present and creates its own atmosphere for every concert. Mänttä's unique experiences are born from these elements.”
"The fact that the festival lasts five days is also an advantage: you can listen to the whole festival from beginning to end if you want, and also enjoy art exhibitions and eat in good restaurants," said Pokki.
Ticket sales for the Mänttä Music Festival will begin on March 1, 2023, in the Serlachius Museums’ online store.