Finland

The Finnish pianist achieves a remarkable feat: taking on the Diabelli Variations, feared by generations of pianists due to their enormous technical and interpretive demands, to offer a journey that spans from the deconstruction of musical time in the19th century to the violent beauty of the contemporary avant-garde.

The first half of the program immerses us in Beethoven’s 33 Diabelli Variations, Op. 120. Under his fingers, Diabelli’s waltz is transformed: dizzying virtuosity gives way to mystical introspection, culminating in a monumental fugue. This is Beethoven in his purest state: ironic, radical, and transcendental.

After the intermission, the 21st century bursts with Eric Wubbels’ New York, making its Mexican premiere. This threshold leads to the final catharsis: flagellation ii (torso), by Raphaël Languillat. Inspired by the pictorial chiaroscuro of Caravaggio, the work strips the piano of its traditional lyricism to transform it into a body pushed to its limits through an obsessive, violent, and sculptural pulse. Ahonen’s performance then takes on an almost liturgical dimension, where the physical effort and the instrument’s massive resonance reveal a raw and disturbing beauty.