Hannikainen: Piano Concerto in B-Flat Minor, Op. 7 & Piano Quartet in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 2

Featuring

Oliver Triendl
Florian Csizmadia
Christel Lee
German Tcakulov
Jonathan Roozeman
Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen

Ilmari Hannikainen

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Critical Reception

Both the Piano Quartet and the Piano Concerto were largely forgotten after their premieres and were not published during the composer's lifetime, possibly due to Hannikainen's busy schedule and the unfinished state of his manuscripts.

Composition History

Ilmari Hannikainen's Piano Quartet in F-sharp minor (op. 2) was completed and premiered within two weeks in 1913, with the composer himself playing the piano part.

Composer Biography

Ilmari Hannikainen studied composition with Erkki Melartin at the Helsinki Music Institute and later with Franz Schreker in Vienna, and piano with Alexander Siloti, a pupil of Franz Liszt.

Recording & Production

This recording presents Ilmari Hannikainen's Piano Concerto in its original, complete form, as previous performances often omitted parts of the final movement.

Composer Biography

Ilmari Hannikainen, a Finnish composer and internationally renowned pianist, came from a musical family where both parents were music teachers and choirmasters, and three of his four brothers also became professional musicians.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Due to a busy concert and teaching schedule, Ilmari Hannikainen could only compose during the summer months, often retreating to a small red hut called Piilopirtti (Hidden Cottage) on an island in Lake Päijänne.

Composition History

The Piano Concerto in B flat minor (op. 7) is one of the first and most ambitious piano concertos written in Finland, clearly composed by a piano virtuoso for his own performance.