Janne Mertanen - His Life and Oeuvre

Pianist Janne Mertanen has become known particularly as a Chopin interpreter. His repertoire does indeed cover the composer´s piano music more or less comprehensively. Janne Mertanen began his studies at the Joensuu Institute of Music from 1982-86 under Matti Haapasalo and at the masterclasses led by Bruno Rigutto and in Zürich by Verena Pfenninger. From 1986-92 he studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where his teachers included Erik T. Tawastjerna and Dmitri Baskirov. He then completed his studies 1993-95 with Lazar Berman at the Accademia Pianistica in Imola, Italy.


Mertanen came to the attention of the wider musical public in 1992 with a win in the International Chopin Competition in Darmstadt, Germany. In the same year he also triumphed in the Nyborg Nordic Competition. Janne Mertanen has appeared in a soloist capacity with the most of the Finnish orchestras, and he has also had engagements with German and Scandinavian orchestras. Recital appearances have taken him around Europe (Sweden, Norway, Danmark, Poland, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Italy, Spain, England and The Slovak Rebublic) and to Japan (including recitals in Tokyo´s Casals Hall during 1991-1992). He made his debut at the Wigmore Hall in London in October 1994 with a programme of works by Chopin. In recent years Mertanen has had concerts in Australia, Canada and USA.


Janne Mertanen was selected as the Young Artist of the 1st Espoo International Piano Festival in May 1991. He has recorded music of Chopin, Beethoven, Glinka, Satie and Kokkonen. Mertanen´s first recording Chopin Recital was released in 1994 on label Finlandia Records (Warner). Since 1998 he has recorded 6 albums on Alba label. Two of which, Chopin Nocturnes vol. 1-2, were awarded in The 6th International Record Competition Grand Prix Du Disque Frédérick Chopin 2005 in Warsaw in October 2005. His latest album Chopin Piano Concertos was relased in February 2008 (ABCD 247). In 2010 Mertanen will publish his recording of Piano Works of Sibelius and recording of Nino Rota´s Piano Concertos (with Tampere Philharmonic, cond. Hannu Lintu).