Pianist Risto Lauriala returns, in his 60 Years of Pianism concert, to the original sources of the composers closest to his heart.

Described after a long international career as the “grand old man” of Finnish pianism, Lauriala performs three chorale preludes by J. S. Bach (arr. Ferruccio Busoni), Bach’s Partita No. 2 in C minor, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Eroica Variations and Fugue in E-flat major, Op. 35. After the interval, the programme continues with Einojuhani Rautavaara’s Piano Sonata No. 1 “Christ and the Fishermen”, Op. 54, and Robert Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13.

Pianist Lauriala, 76, began playing the piano at the age of six and continues to perform actively. He rose to wider public attention after winning the Maj Lind Piano Competition in 1970 and the Stepanov Piano Competition in Vienna in 1974. Lauriala served as a chamber pianist at the Sibelius Academy for more than 40 years. His numerous recordings of Bach, Beethoven, Sibelius and Schubert have enjoyed international success and have been recognized in publications including Gramophone, Classic CD, and BBC Music Magazine.