Who is Ralf Gothoni?
Ralf Georg Nils Gothóni (born 2 May 1946, Rauma) is a Finnish-German pianist and conductor. He is also active as a chamber musician, professor, composer, and author. Born in Rauma, Finland he made his orchestra debut at age 15. Besides his worldwide concert career he has made some 100 recordings with major labels. He often performs in a double role conducting from the keyboard. Ralf Gothóni studied the piano from the age of five, first with Tapani Valsta and later with Ervin László. Gothóni mentions Sviatoslav Richter and Arthur Rubinstein as models for him. One of the first landmarks in Gothóni's career was the 1977 Schubertiade in Helsinki: forty Finnish singers performed circa 450 lieder by Franz Schubert. Gothóni has appeared as a lied pianist with such singers as Jorma Hynninen, Martti Talvela, Arleen Augér, Edith Mathis, Anne Sofie von Otter, Ileana Cotrubas, Peter Schreier, and Barbara Hendricks. He appeared in lied concerts until the middle of the 1990s and since that h...
