Maurice Ravel - Masks & Mirrors (Juho Pohjonen)

Information

Composer: Maurice Ravel

• Menuet antique, M.7
• Pavane pour une infante défunte, M.19
• Jeux d'eau, M.30
• Gaspard de la Nuit, M.55
• Le tombeau de Couperin, M.68

Juho Pohjonen, piano

Date: 2026

Label: Orchid Classics

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In his second solo recording for Orchid Classics, Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen explores Maurice Ravel’s piano output across more than two decades, tracing the composer's stylistic evolution from the youthful Menuet antique to Le Tombeau de Couperin. Recorded on a Bösendorfer concert grand at the Liszt-Zentrum Raiding, the album moves past impressionistic surfaces to highlight Ravel’s structural clarity, harmonic subtlety, and emotional restraint. From the shimmering textures of Jeux d’eau to the formidable virtuosity and haunting imagery of Gaspard de la nuit, Pohjonen illuminates Ravel’s enduring fascination with history, literature, and illusion through a refined, deeply nuanced performance.

Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen (b. 1981) is recognized as one of today’s most versatile instrumentalists, celebrated for his technical mastery and refined artistry across soloist, chamber, and recording roles. Educated at the Sibelius Academy and named a Klavier Festival Ruhr winner by Sir András Schiff, Pohjonen regularly performs with premier global ensembles, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic and London's Philharmonia Orchestra, under renowned conductors like Esa-Pekka Salonen and Marin Alsop. A frequent performer with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, his discography spans Scandinavian repertoire, romantic chamber works, and solo albums. Demonstrating multi-faceted innovation, Pohjonen also created MyPianist, an interactive AI-based accompaniment application.

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