Kalevi Aho, the composer, began his musical journey at age ten, studying violin and composing his first pieces around the same time.
Composition History
The Nineteen Preludes (1965-68) were composed by a teenage Kalevi Aho before his formal studies, largely as practice pieces for himself.
Compositional Technique
Kalevi Aho's Piano Sonata from 1980 is his most technically demanding solo piano work, featuring trills, tremolos, double notes, and fast toccata-like passages.
Performer Biography
Pianist Sonja Fräki specializes in the piano music of Kalevi Aho, which was also the subject of her doctoral thesis at the Sibelius Academy.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Kalevi Aho's solo piano works, spanning four decades, are united by a consistent striving for virtuoso piano writing.
Composer Biography
Kalevi Aho studied composition under Einojuhani Rautavaara at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and later with Boris Blacher in Berlin.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in January 2013 at Nya Paviljongen, Grankulla, Finland, with Hans Kipfer as producer and sound engineer.
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