Period

:

Baroque

 

 

Romantic

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Choral

 

 

Vocal

 

Markku Hietaharju is a Finnish classical music artist who has made a name for himself as a conductor, pianist, and composer. Born on May 5, 1975, in Helsinki, Finland, Hietaharju showed an early interest in music and began playing the piano at the age of six. He went on to study music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where he received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in piano performance. Hietaharju's talent as a pianist was recognized early on, and he won several awards and competitions throughout his career. In 1997, he won the first prize at the International Piano Competition in Rome, Italy, and in 1999, he won the first prize at the International Piano Competition in Helsinki, Finland. These victories helped to establish Hietaharju as a rising star in the classical music world. In addition to his success as a pianist, Hietaharju also began to gain recognition as a conductor. He studied conducting with Jorma Panula at the Sibelius Academy and went on to conduct several orchestras in Finland and abroad. In 2003, he was appointed as the principal conductor of the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, a position he held until 2008. During his tenure with the orchestra, Hietaharju led several successful performances and recordings, including a critically acclaimed recording of Sibelius's Symphony No. 2. Hietaharju's success as a conductor led to several guest conducting engagements with orchestras around the world. He has conducted the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, among others. He has also conducted several opera productions, including Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, and Verdi's La Traviata. In addition to his work as a pianist and conductor, Hietaharju is also an accomplished composer. He has written several works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, and solo instruments, and his music has been performed by orchestras and ensembles around the world. In 2005, he was awarded the Finnish State Prize for Music for his contributions to Finnish music. Throughout his career, Hietaharju has received numerous awards and honors for his work as a musician. In 2001, he was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal, one of Finland's highest honors for cultural achievements. In 2007, he was awarded the Finnish Cultural Foundation's prestigious five-year artist grant, which allowed him to focus on his work as a composer. In 2015, he was awarded the Finnish Music Publishers Association's annual award for his contributions to Finnish music. Hietaharju's performances and recordings have received critical acclaim throughout his career. His recording of Sibelius's Symphony No. 2 with the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra was praised for its "powerful and nuanced interpretation" by the Finnish music magazine Rondo. His recording of Mozart's Piano Concertos Nos. 20 and 21 with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra was described as "exquisite" by the British music magazine Gramophone. In recent years, Hietaharju has continued to perform, conduct, and compose music. He has collaborated with several Finnish and international musicians, including the Finnish soprano Soile Isokoski and the American pianist Garrick Ohlsson. He has also continued to conduct orchestras and opera productions around the world, including productions of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde and Strauss's Salome.

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