Paavali Jumppanen to play Beethoven & Mozart
April 2013
For Finnish born Paavali Jumppanen it all began when he was five years old. At this tender age he started piano lessons, and now at just 39, this gifted musician is one of the world’s leading pianists, travelling the globe, equally at home as a guest soloist and chamber musician.
Not surprisingly, his passion and determination has not diminished; if anything it has grown. He will be in Australia this May at the Australian National Academy of Music, working with the Academy’s young gifted musicians in three programs featuring some of the most well-known works of Beethoven and Mozart.
Jumppanen’s vast repertoire spans much of the classical piano literature, from Bach to the avant-garde, and in recent years he has dedicated much of his time performing cycles of the complete Beethoven Sonatas. Jumppanen’s interest in the Viennese classical period led to the recording of the complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas with Corey Cerovsek, which won the 2007 Midem prize for best chamber music recording. In 2011-12 he was in residence at Harvard University as a visiting scholar, researching the Viennese classical period, particularly Beethoven.
As one of four children, life at home in Espoo, Finland was filled with music. His parents fostered a love of music with their children from a young age. The piano was a natural choice, as his two older brothers were having lessons, so there was a piano at home, and “we had a piano teacher come to our house. Once I started to get more serious about my playing, my two elder brothers both dropped out of their routine. My younger sister also played a bit but her talent is more in the visual so she became a graphic artist.
“I was very lucky; my brothers’ piano teacher was a really magnetic kind of personality. I really fell in love with music through his electric vibe. I didn’t end up studying under him, though; instead my parents put me in a Suzuki-group, for the first couple of years.” Jumppanen then studied at the Sibelius Academy in Finland, and at the Music Academy of Basel in Switzerland.
Luck, if the reviews are anything to go by, didn’t have much to do with Jumppanen’s career. His success, he believes, “really was the combination of the inspiration from the orchestral concerts and music listened at home, and the excellent coaching from my teacher that made it possible for me to land in a situation in my early teens where all of a sudden it seemed possible to dream of a career in music.”
His performances have variously been described as fresh, imaginative and impressive, and audiences can expect this plus much more. Returning to ANAM, Jumppanen believes that while he will be working with a very enthusiastic group of young musicians together “they will be unfolding the wonders of two of the greatest musical geniuses of all times: Mozart and Beethoven.
“Their music is close to each other but at the same time worlds apart. Mozart was one of the true wonders in the history of music, and he accomplished his musical mastery quickly and seemingly effortlessly. Beethoven, on the other hand, gave music the kind of emotional depth never experienced beforehand and his music has been said to have changed not only how music was composed and listened to but in addition his output and persona changed the way art and culture was placed in society,” Jumppanen adds.
“We have a fabulous program for the three concerts we’re doing together, and audiences should find it an inspiring opportunity to join us for the musical journey to the heart of the western classical music tradition.”
Paavali Jumppanen will play Mozart and Beethoven from May 3 to 7 at the Australian National Academy of Music, South Melbourne Town Hall, 210 Bank Street, South Melbourne. Supported by Shelmerdine Wines.
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