Ismo Eskelinen will play a premier of Einojuhani Rautavaara’s Variétude originally composed for solo violin and arranged for guitar by Eskelinen and the composer. The premier will take place at Sonkajärvi Soi Festival in Finland where Eskelinen also serves as an artistic director. At the same festival Eskelinen will also play a guitar sonata named “Jehkin Iivana” according to the legendary Finnish runo singer composed and dedicated to Eskelinen by the famous pianist/composer Olli Mustonen. This will be a part of the concert in which the focus is in Olli Mustonen as a composer, and where the composer Olli Mustonen also performs his own piano music. In the festival Eskelinen also plays as a soloist with the Virtuosi di Kuhmo chamber orchestra.

Eskelinen’s new CD “The Seventh Sense” released by Alba includes works by Arvo Pärt, Peteris Vasks, Luca Francesconi, Minoru Miki, Toru Takemitsu and Leo Brouwer. In a new version of Pärt’s Fratres for guitar, strings and percussion Eskelinen joins the Ostrobothnian chamber orchestra conducted by Juha Kangas. The CD was already praised in many reviews including the biggest newspaper in Finland, Helsingin Sanomat with a headline “Perfect mastery of the guitar”.

Eskelinen’s preceding CD, Works by Manuel Ponce (including Concierto del Sur) has been a great success, hailed for example as a “…the finest recording of these particular works…” by The Classical guitar, “Best compliment for the classic Segovia recording” by American Record Guide and “Record of the Year” by Helsingin Sanomat.

In the near future, Eskelinen will be busy performing recitals and chamber music, and as a soloist with orchestras. His engagements will include the prestigious Moritzburg Festival in Germany, where he was invited as a first guitarist eve. He will play Villa-Lobos’ Concerto with the Tapiola Sinfonietta under the baton of Olli Mustonen, and in a numerous chamber music festivals, where he plays, besides recitals, chamber music with such renowed musicians as the violinists Pekka Kuusisto and Arvid Engegård, and cellist Jan-Erik Gustafsson.

During the last years Ismo Eskelinen’s career has widely expanded outside the “guitar world”. He is one of the very few guitarists who regularly is invited to perform with with the best orchestras. In 2005 he premiered Jukka Tiensuu’s Guitar Concerto “Aim” with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. The performance was conducted by their chief conductor Sakari Oramo, also known as a chief conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Five-movement work includes two cadenzas written and partly improvised by Eskelinen. In 2003 Eskelinen performed Tan Dun’s concerto with the FRSO, conducted by John Storgårds. Both these performances were televised by the Finnish Broadcasting Company. Other orhestras that have invited - and reinvited - Eskelinen as a soloist during the past years are such as the Tapiola Sinfonietta, the Sinfonia Lahti, the Tampere Philharmonic, the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, the Basel Philharmonic, the Stringendo Chamber Orchestra (Paris), the Chamber Orchestra of Lapland and the Virtuosi di Kuhmo. He is a regular guest in such festivals as Helsinki Festival, Savonlinna Opera Festival, Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Musica Nova Helsinki, Naantali Chamber Music Festival and Turku Music Festival.

Eskelinen became widely known in Finland when he performed weekly as a “classical house musician” of a popular prime time current affairs TV talk show "Päivärinta" 2003-04. He presented a wide selection of guitar music from classics to modern times. A new series around music is now being planned.

Ismo Eskelinen’s new website: www.ismoeskelinen.com

Management:
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Tel +358 9 4542 470, fax +358 9 446 841

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