Biography (read more)
Olli Mustonen was born in Vantaa, Finland, on 7 June 1967, studied harpsichord and piano from five with Ralf Gothóni and Eero Heinonen, and composition with Rautavaara from 1975. Winning the Young Concert Artists auditions in 1987 brought a Carnegie Hall debut, and his first Decca record — the complete preludes of Shostakovich and Alkan — took both the Gramophone and Edison awards.
Mustonen plays like the composer he also is: staccato-lit textures, wilful accents and re-thought phrasing that turn even the most familiar Beethoven into an argument. His Shostakovich preludes and fugues, and his pairing of neglected cycles like Alkan’s with canonical ones, give this catalogue readings that force a listener to take sides — the most instructive kind.
Sources: