Olli Mustonen

Sonata

Mustonen belongs to the young generation of composing piano virtuosos. What is remarkable is that 'his instrument' is not placed in the foreground of his works. He rather composed pieces for strings, sonatas with piano accompaniment, orchestral works and even a piece for guitar referring to the history of his home country Finland.The cello sonata was premiered by Mustonen with the cellist Daniel Müller-Schott in Hamburg. No special emphasis is given to polyphonic coexistence; instead, the piano, playing chordally, acts as a real accompaniment most of the time. Cantilenas of the cello, tricky rhythms, and almost symphonic sound eruptions make the piece a sure-fire hit with the public.