“…Arcturus … an ingenious construction of musical material…”
“As a whole, the trio is an uplifting tour-de-force…”
Jari Kallio on his blog on 31st of August, 2020

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Composer Ari Romppanen studied composing in Sibelius Academy in Helsinki with Erkki Jokinen. His output consists mainly of chamber music and works for solo instrument. Trained as a pianist, he has also co-operated with several pianists, especially with pianist Eriko Takahashi since 2018. He has also received many commissions mainly for piano works all the way from Japan. In many works he has used improvisation, and several of his piano works have been awarded in different composition competitions. In 2006 he worked in Buenos Aires with a local improvisation group as invited by Finnish Embassy in Argentina and a local university.

Together with professor Seppo Kimanen and Dr. Lasse Lehtonen, Ari Romppanen is a founder and music coordinator in music section of Finnish Japanese Society, FinJa Music. FinJa Music aims to promote musical co-operation and exchange between Finland and Japan, to make Japanese music better known in Finland, and to maintain relationship with its partner society in Tokyo, Japan Finland Contemporary Music Society. In addition, Ari Romppanen has participated few collaborative projects combining theater, dance, contemporary circus and music. Some dramaturgical ideas derived from these projects have also influenced on his other works.

Besides composing, Romppanen has taught both piano and composing and also performed himself as a pianist.  Further he has held several positions of responsibility, for example in the board of Sibelius Fund of the Society of Finnish Composers.

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Erakis (2016-2017)
First performance by Eriko Takahashi

Performed in Tokyo, Share Okusawa,
September 4, 2022
Camera & recording: Masahiro Horiuchi
Steinway & Sons New York, 1917

Listen to other works on ‘Listen’ page

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“Thank you all for the enjoyable co-operation and especially Ari for the great music!
In particular, I think the song cycle ‘Valo rakentuu palasista’ is downright a masterpiece.
Toned, refined, insightful music and a controlled whole.”
Mikko Raasakka

“…in its apparent simplicity, a truly captivating work that I would have liked to
hear, even immediately, again.”
Jyri Ojala on newspaper Karjalainen on 12th of July, 2018

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