Programme note Conte, op. 27 , was commissioned by the Sibelius Academy of Helsinki, to be one of two interchangeable obligatory contemporary numbers in Maj Lind Piano Competition for young talented Finnish pianists. I wrote the piece in the beginning of the year 1985; the competition took place a year later. 'Conte' is the French word for 'a story' or 'a fairy tale'. This does not mean that I am trying to tell any specific story with the music. The title refers to two things, mainly. On the o...

• Conte