Åke Holmquist
In May 2015 Roland Pöntinen played the tenth and last concert of a series with the complete sonatas by Beethoven at Kulturhuset Ytterjärna, outside Stockholm. As a sequel to this large scale project Pöntinen now presents selections from the 32 sonatas together with Åke Holmquist, author of the much praised Beethoven-Biografin, published by Albert Bonnier publishing house in 2012. In these programs Holmquist gives an engaging portrait of Beethoven as a man and composer and how his work is related to political, social, philosophical and musical currents of his time. Together with Pöntinen’s interpretations the aim is, apart from presenting the music itself, to reach beneath the surface of the conventional myths surrounding the great composer.
Premiered at Lyckå Chamber Music Festival, Karlskrona, 3 July 2013.
”…both thundering and lyrical Hammerklavier-Sonata” Kammarmusik-Nytt, 3/2013
Watch the TV-recording on Vimeo