Role

:

Conductor  

Birth

:

1976 in Helsinki, Finland

Genre

:

Keyboard

 

 

Orchestral

 

Aapo Häkkinen is a Finnish classical music artist who has made a name for himself as a pianist, harpsichordist, conductor, and musicologist. Born on May 28, 1966, in Helsinki, Finland, Häkkinen grew up in a family of musicians. His father was a cellist, and his mother was a pianist. Häkkinen started playing the piano at the age of five and showed exceptional talent from an early age. Häkkinen's musical education began at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where he studied piano with Liisa Pohjola and harpsichord with Elina Mustonen. He later continued his studies at the Amsterdam Conservatory with Bob van Asperen and Gustav Leonhardt, two of the most renowned harpsichordists of the 20th century. Häkkinen's career as a performer began in the early 1990s when he started giving recitals and performing with orchestras in Finland and other European countries. He quickly gained a reputation as a virtuoso pianist and harpsichordist with a deep understanding of the music he played. Häkkinen's repertoire includes works by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, and many other composers from the Baroque to the Romantic era. One of Häkkinen's most significant achievements as a performer was his recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations on the harpsichord. The recording, released in 2007, received critical acclaim and established Häkkinen as one of the leading interpreters of Bach's keyboard music. Häkkinen's other notable recordings include Mozart's Piano Concertos, Beethoven's Piano Sonatas, and Schubert's Impromptus. In addition to his career as a performer, Häkkinen is also a respected conductor and musicologist. He has conducted orchestras in Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands, and has been a guest conductor at many music festivals around the world. Häkkinen's research focuses on the music of the Baroque era, and he has published several articles and books on the subject. Häkkinen has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career. In 1993, he won the first prize at the International Harpsichord Competition in Bruges, Belgium. In 2000, he was awarded the Finnish State Prize for Music, one of the most prestigious awards for musicians in Finland. Häkkinen has also been awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal, the Order of the Lion of Finland, and the Order of the White Rose of Finland for his contributions to Finnish culture. Häkkinen is currently a professor of harpsichord and chamber music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He continues to perform, record, and conduct, and is widely regarded as one of the most important classical music artists of his generation.

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