Pekka Kuusisto

Fiddle

“Pekka Kuusisto…surely has the most personal sound of any classical violinist now alive”

Ivan Hewett, The Telegraph

Biography

Trailblazer? Challenger? Explorer? Virtuoso? It is difficult to describe Pekka Kuusisto briefly. The more you read, the more you realize that he is a rare artist in the classical music world. Risør has been pursuing this Finnish force of nature for many years, and finally, he is returning to us. Not just as an artist, but as Tine’s co-curator. You will notice it.

Most would say that he plays the violin, but he prefers to call himself a fiddler. It gives him more room to explore, as he puts it. And therein lies the essence of Pekka’s artistic expression. Nothing is forbidden. Nothing shall remain untried. One moment he brings you to tears playing Sibelius, the next he has the entire Royal Albert Hall singing along to a Finnish folk song during the BBC Proms. Classical music needs someone like Pekka: it is people like him who bring history into the present and prepare it for the future.

He has played with everyone and in all the grandest halls. His list of accomplishments is filled with names of orchestras, conductors, composers, and venues from the top tier. That he has found his way to the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra as artistic director, and now to Risør, says much about the Norwegian chamber music scene. Pekka can pick and choose from the top shelf and likes it best where music and people come closest together.