Olli Mustonen is returning to Australia for a series of concerts with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, titled Schubert’s Trout. The Finnish piano virtuoso, composer and conductor talks to Limelight ahead of the tour commencing on 15 September.

Olli Mustonen. Photo by Outi TÂrmñlñ

Olli Mustonen has almost lost count of the number of times he has visited Australia.

“Australia has always been a very important country to me,” he tells Limelight. “This must be the 10th time that I’m coming, or something like that. It all started with ACO. Since the beginning, the collaboration with Richard Tognetti and the ACO has been something very, very important. It’s one of the most wonderful musical relationships of my life.”

On his last visit in 2015, Mustonen was commissioned to arrange his earlier 2006 Sonata for Cello and Piano for the ACO, and he went on to perform it alongside compatriot and cellist Timo-Veikko Valve. According to Mustonen, it was on that occasion that talk of presenting his Piano Quintet began. Written in the same year, it was premiered in this country by the Australian Piano Quartet with violinist Kristian Winther. This latest tour,...