Mustonen - Introduzione E Allegro Alla Polacca Piano Trio

My Introduzione e Allegro alla Polacca was commissioned by the Trio Gaspard as part of their Haydn project. It is a modest homage to Haydn's inimitable artistry, which had a significant influence on my musical life from a very early age. When I was about 7 to 9 years old, an important part of my piano lessons involved playing piano duets with my teacher, Ralf Gothoni. We covered a large amount of repertoire, including four-hand arrangements of many of Haydn's symphonies and string quartets. Around the same time, I also began playing his piano trios and sonatas. His musical language was thus a very important part of the musical landscape of my early years as a musician. In Introduzione e Allegro alla Polacca, one hears a homage to the adventurous, intriguing, and mysterious modulation chains often found in his music, as well as to his boyish and endearing humor, so full of sunshine. (Olli Mustonen)