Question of Taste: Finghin Collins picks his favourite music and viewing choices 

In advance of his concert for Cork Orchestral Society, the Dublin pianist features Mendelssohn, Olivier Messiaen and Oliver Callan among his selections 

Finghin Collins plays a live-streamed concert as part of a series hosted by Cork Orchestral Society. Picture: Frances Marshall

Finghin Collins is a concert pianist based in Dublin and Kilkenny. Born and educated in Dublin, he also studied in Geneva, Switzerland. His performance for Cork Orchestral Society, from the Curtis Auditorium at Cork School of Music, will be available to stream from Saturday, April 17, at 6.30pm, via www.corkorchestralsociety.ie. The concert will remain online for one month. 

Best recent book you've read:

Anne Patchett's The Patron Saint of Liars. Gripping from start to finish, beautifully told and despite a far-fetched story, it had very relatable, memorable and believable characters. Highly recommended. 

Best recent film:

The Cellist by Murray Grigor - this is a documentary about the extraordinary 20th-century Russian cellist Gregor Piatiigorsky. We showed it as part of Cellissimo in Galway last month and it is so beautiful.

Best recent show/gig you’ve seen:

Just before lockdown, I was in Moscow and saw Tchaikovsky’s opera Pique Dame at the Bolshoi Theatre. Unforgettable.

Best piece of music you’ve been listening to lately (new or old):

Mendelssohn Octet in E flat major, written when the composer was 16!!

First ever piece of music that really moved you:

Schubert Piano Sonata in B flat major D. 960, played by the Japanese pianist Mitsuko Uchida.

The best gig or show you've ever seen (if you had to pick one!):

Grigory Sokolov playing Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata at a festival in Switzerland.

TV viewing:

I watch mostly current affairs programmes, which is really quite tedious during the pandemic. I am very interested in how news is reported.

Radio listening and/or podcasts:

Callans’ Kicks on RTÉ Radio One is unmissable, Oliver Callan's talent is quite astonishing.

You're curating your dream festival – which three musicians are on the bill, living or dead?

Niccolò Paganini, Franz Liszt, Sergey Rachmaninov

Your best celebrity encounter:

I got to play for Olivier Messiaen when I was 13. That was kinda cool.

You can portal back to any cultural event or music era – where, when, and why?

1700s Vienna - might have met Mozart, Haydn or Beethoven!

You are king of the arts scene for a day – what's your first decree?

To put live music concerts higher up the priority list for the return to so-called normality following the pandemic.