Soloist concert Kopatchinskaja · Ahonen

Mozarteum Foundation

Beethoven Nowadays

Lauenen Church

"From the canyons to the stars... This means rising from the depths of the canyons up to the stars - and even higher up to the resurrected of paradise - to praise God and the abundance of his creations: the beauties of the earth (its rocks, its birdsong), the beauties of the visible sky, the beauties of the spiritual sky," writes Olivier Messiaen in the prologue to the score of "Des Canyons aux étoiles...".

Cambreling – Messiaen »Des canyons aux étoiles…«

Laeiszhalle Hamburg

Galina Ustvolskaya was a woman whose work was characterized by ascetic contemplation and uncompromising outbursts. From 1937 to 1947 she studied at the conservatory in her hometown of Leningrad, where Dmitri Shostakovich was not only one of her most important teachers, but also one of her great admirers. Shostakovich is quoted as saying that he was just a talent, she was a phenomenon. Until the end, the composer lived a secluded life and avoided any publicity. "I write when I am in a state of grace. Then the work rests for a while, and when its time comes, I release it. If its time does not come, I destroy it." After 1990, the composer did not release a single further work for performance until her death in 2006.

Cambreling – Verdi Requiem

Hardly any other composition combines the impossibility and power of a supernatural love like Wagner's prelude to "Tristan and Isolde", which culminates in the romantic love death. The Aachen composer Philipp Maintz describes the piano concerto genre as "one of the most beautiful and pleasurable playgrounds" - to which he pays homage here with one of his own representatives. The main work of the evening is Richard Strauss' great tone poem "Ein Heldenleben", a powerful orchestral piece that reflects the epic highs and lows of the eponymous hero in musical splendor.

Joonas Ahonen

Events

Past events

Aug 25, 2025

Soloist concert Kopatchinskaja · Ahonen · Salzburger Festspiele

Aug 4, 2025

Beethoven Nowadays · Gstaad Menuhin Festival

Future and recently performed repertoire

Piano in Violin Sonata No. 4 by Beethoven

Salzburger Festspiele

Piano in Violin Sonata No. 8 by Beethoven

Salzburger Festspiele

Piano in Uni-Solo by Kopatchinskaja

Gstaad Menuhin Festival

Piano in Én-kör V by Illés

Gstaad Menuhin Festival

Piano in Phantasy for Violin and Piano by Schoenberg

Salzburger Festspiele

Piano in Violin Sonata No. 1 by Antheil

Salzburger Festspiele

About

Joonas Ahonen hasn't added a bio