Just found out that Kaija Saariaho has won the Nemmers Prize (below), whose former recipients were John Adams (2004) and Oliver Knussen (2006).
And realized we didn't have a thread on her, so this is a good reason to start one! I admire her music very much. Just last fall I heard The Crossing, the Philadelphia new music choir, in Tag des Jahrs (Day of the Years (2001) for choir and electronics, a beautiful work.
--Bruce
* * * * *
KAIJA SAARIAHO WINS $100,000 2008 NEMMERS COMPOSITION PRIZE
EVANSTON, Ill. --- The Northwestern University School of Music today (April 2) announced that Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho is the 2008 winner of the $100,000 Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition. The biennial award honors classical modern composers of outstanding achievement who have significantly affected the field of composition. Past winners include John Adams (2004) and Oliver Knussen (2006).
Saariaho was cited by the selection committee for "transforming avant-garde techniques into a world of luminous, shifting color and emotional depth, mirroring the human experience."
As winner of the 2008 Nemmers Prize, Saariaho receives a cash award of $100,000 and during the 2009-10 season a performance of one of her works by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She also will be in residence at Northwestern University's School of Music during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years. Her first residency is scheduled for January 2009.
Kaija Saariaho said, "I am very honored to have received the Nemmers Prize. Awards of this rank are important because they recognize a composer's life work and the great effort required to develop and deepen a musical style. I was especially happy to read the prize citation because it indicates that I have been successful in reaching some of my musical goals."
Northwestern University School of Music Dean Toni-Marie Montgomery said, "Ms. Saariaho has extended both musical vocabulary and instrumental technique into a new language that is profoundly beautiful and highly personal. Our students and faculty look forward to welcoming her to the Evanston and Chicago communities."
The anonymous, three-member Nemmers Prize committee that selected Saariaho comprised individuals of widely recognized stature in the international music community.
The Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Musical Composition is made possible through a generous gift from the late Erwin E. Nemmers and Frederic E. Nemmers, who in 1994 enabled the creation of the Erwin Plein Nemmers Prize in Economics and the Frederic Esser Nemmers Prize in Mathematics, leading awards in those fields.
Another I've not heard any music from. I've had my eye on this one for a while though:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5135SR1CXKL._SS500_.jpg)
Seem like a good place to start?
Allan
How "avant-garde" are we talking here?
Allan, I've heard Sept Papillons live (for solo cello), but not heard that CD, but it looks like a fine enough introduction. (Salonen is a huge champion of her work.) You might also investigate Petals (1988) for cello and electronics, one of the first of her works I heard, and I gather by reputation, one of the works that put her on the map. Here (http://www.karttunen.org/saariaho_cello.htm) are some program notes for a recital by the cellist Anssi Karttunen.
Dave, you can listen to The Crossing do one of the four parts of Tag des Jahrs here (http://www.crossingchoir.com/listen.html). Just checked the Finnish Music Information Center to see if they had any more samples, and didn't find any, but there are probably some short ones on Amazon.
--Bruce
Quote from: bhodges on April 02, 2008, 07:34:28 AM
Allan, I've heard Sept Papillons live (for solo cello), but not heard that CD, but it looks like a fine enough introduction. (Salonen is a huge champion of her work.) You might also investigate Petals (1988) for cello and electronics, one of the first of her works I heard, and I gather by reputation, one of the works that put her on the map. Here (http://www.karttunen.org/saariaho_cello.htm) are some program notes for a recital by the cellist Anssi Karttunen.
Dave, you can listen to The Crossing do one of the four parts of Tag des Jahrs here (http://www.crossingchoir.com/listen.html). Just checked the Finnish Music Information Center to see if they had any more samples, and didn't find any, but there are probably some short ones on Amazon.
--Bruce
Thanks. Will listen at the next opportunity.
Having attended the world premiere of Du Cristal (and being there for all four performances) which was my first exposure to Saariaho, Du Cristal remain my favorite Saariaho work. Too bad I was not in town for the premiere of A la Fumee, which was part two of the work, given a couple of years later. So I grabbed the recording as soon as it came out.
Quote from: toledobass on April 02, 2008, 07:18:20 AM
Another I've not heard any music from. I've had my eye on this one for a while though:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5135SR1CXKL._SS500_.jpg)
Seem like a good place to start?
Allan
That was where I started with Saariaho, albeit on the original issue
sans papillons. The three main works on the disc are all comparatively early ('80s all, I think) and more modernistic, less melodic than her more recent work. That disc or either of these two ones with more recent compositions seems to me to be a good introduction to her work:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51HTMFYYPTL._SS500_.jpg)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Q476S07FL._SS500_.jpg)
I enjoyed that clip. Thanks.
Quote from: springrite on April 02, 2008, 07:51:02 AM
Having attended the world premiere of Du Cristal (and being there for all four performances) which was my first exposure to Saariaho, Du Cristal remain my favorite Saariaho work. Too bad I was not in town for the premiere of A la Fumee, which was part two of the work, given a couple of years later. So I grabbed the recording as soon as it came out.
I love it..."all four performances"...now that's the way to get to know a piece! I gather you liked it!
And I haven't heard that recent Ondine recording,
edward, which looks quite good.
Quote from: MN Dave on April 02, 2008, 07:56:35 AM
I enjoyed that clip. Thanks.
Oh cool! I wish they'd posted the entire piece, but during the final section, the building's fire alarm went off--amusingly, sounding somewhat like the electronics, so it took a few seconds for everyone to realize what was happening.
--Bruce
Quote from: bhodges on April 02, 2008, 07:58:35 AM
I love it..."all four performances"...now that's the way to get to know a piece! I gather you liked it!
I have a policy of attending all performances of a world premiere if I liked it or at least feel that it was at least interesting. I did so with several works, which also includes Kullervo, the opera.
Quote from: springrite on April 02, 2008, 08:18:52 AM
I have a policy of attending all performances of a world premiere if I liked it or at least feel that it was at least interesting. I did so with several works, which also includes Kullervo, the opera.
0:)
--Bruce
Here (http://www.musicalcriticism.com/interviews/saariaho-0609.shtml) is an interview with Saariaho, prior to ENO's new production of L'amour de loin, which opens July 4. And there is a new studio recording coming out on July 27 (on Harmonia Mundi), conducted by Kent Nagano.
Anyone seeing the new production? Would love to hear some thoughts on it, if so.
--Bruce
I have the Ondine without the solo cello piece.
As far as I'm concerned, that is the place to start (then get the Salonen). If you're a newbie, you might want to stay away from that other Ondine disc with all the solo pieces with electronics. It's pretty bare, IMO. For me, the first Ondine disc may be all the Saariaho I'll ever need, but the Salonen disc is tempting.
But I really dig that Nymphea with the Kronos. I have the Arditti also, but the Kronos own this piece: the best SQ with electronics I know.
Saariaho belongs in the same group as Finnish composers like Salonen and Lindberg who, in my view, were bound and determined to break Finnish music from the Sibelius mold. In my opinion, they have succeeded in doing this so far. Saariaho comes from a different view than Lindberg and Salonen, but is no less interesting than the these two. I'm still in the midst of rediscovering Saariaho's music as I have four of her recordings (on Ondine). I'm looking to get her opera L'amour de loin at some point. Can anyone shed some light on this opera?
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 28, 2011, 10:03:58 PM
I'm looking to get her opera L'amour de loin at some point. Can anyone shed some light on this opera?
I have the DVD of this opera. It is a strange opera in the sense that it is mostly recitatives with hardly any singing. So it is more like a atomspheric painting or mood painting. The storyline, if you can call that, hardly moves at all.
I still like it somewhat.
Quote from: springrite on May 28, 2011, 10:37:53 PM
I have the DVD of this opera. It is a strange opera in the sense that it is mostly recitatives with hardly any singing. So it is more like a atomspheric painting or mood painting. The storyline, if you can call that, hardly moves at all.
I still like it somewhat.
Hardly any singing? PERFECT! Now that's my kind of opera! ;) Thanks for the feedback, I'll probably get Nagano's recording on Harmonia Mundi sometime in the future.
Quote from: springrite on May 28, 2011, 10:37:53 PM
I have the DVD of this opera. It is a strange opera in the sense that it is mostly recitatives with hardly any singing. So it is more like a atomspheric painting or mood painting. The storyline, if you can call that, hardly moves at all.
I still like it somewhat.
Part of what makes the DVD ineffective is the production. The camera angles are terrible (a common flaw in modern opera productions on DVD). However, I really like the opera. The atmospheric nature of it is to be expected, for that is what much of Saariaho's music is like. There isn't much of a storyline, but it is a piece to just let yourself be immersed in without thinking too much about the plot. It is not my favorite work by Saariaho. I quite like her orchestral work Orion, and this is, in my opinion, the best place to start for her work. Calling it something like 1920-1930s modernism is a bit of a stretch, though. From examining it, I would say that it is more like polished, pretty, and colorful 1960s-1970s sound mass composition, and what's there not to like about that?! One qualm about the work is that I think it needs another, better mixed recording. The score is rich and full of detail, but in the recording it all comes out as a wash of sound and a lot is lost. Having the score in hand, I was able to strain myself to hear certain things that I would have never guessed were in the recording. I am only going off the Eschenbach recording, though. I have not heard the other(s) yet, but I am working on that. Another orchestral work, the brief Asteroid 4179: Toutatis, perhaps encapsulates her style in the neatest, smallest package possible. As far as her vocal music goes, if you don't want to start with L'Amour de Loin (I frankly don't recommend starting with that, in general), start with Château de l'âme (for soprano, female choir, and orchestra) or Mirage (a sort of double concerto for cello and soprano). Both are beautiful, challenging works. The early electronic works haven't quite clicked for me yet, honestly. I still come back to them on occasion.
Quote from: toucan on August 12, 2011, 12:13:26 PM
Good news on the Saariaho front: new works, soon to be released by - who else? - ONDINE - including the Igmar Bergman-inspired Laterna Magic that Welser-Most will be performing live next season:
(http://i335.photobucket.com/albums/m465/Phil1_05/SaariahoLaternaMagica3.jpg)
Yes, Kaija Saariaho left Finand at a young age in order not to live under the shadow of Sibelius - and ended up composing pieces that display distinctive personality as well as renew the musical life of Finland - and of the rest of Europe as well.
Excellent, I'll be purchasing this when it comes out.
All three of those pieces are excellent. Anyone who didn't see the video of the masterful Kari Kriikku performing the clarinet concerto missed out. That piece is quite a varied virtuoso showpiece. I'll definitely be purchasing that disk when it comes out. It will be nice to hear a polished studio recording of these works, for my only experiences with these pieces is with live performances of varying quality.
You might enjoy seeing Terra Memoria (http://www.firstpost.com/topic/person/kaija-saariaho-k-saariaho-terra-memoria-video-gaIOXEInKwU-76669-1.html) and some of the other videos on this site.
Quote from: James on May 27, 2012, 03:11:40 AM
http://www.youtube.com/v/pP6BYRjHxgw
She's a very articulate and interesting composer. Saariaho, Lindberg, and Salonen are currently my favorite composers in the 21st Century and they're all Finnish. Very cool. 8)
I like Saariaho a lot, and have many recordings as well as having attended at least two premieres. However, as of the present, I like Salonen, Gubaidulina etc. a lot more. Saariaho's music is wonderful but seems too much like music composed in a vacuum, an utopian idealistic artificial world. Salonen, for instance, is more human and easier to connect to on a human level. Don't misunderstand me, I do rate Sariaho highly and indeed consider her one of the best living composers. But I will eagerly await and follow Salonen's compositions much much more now.
Quote from: springrite on May 27, 2012, 05:37:37 PM
I like Saariaho a lot, and have many recordings as well as having attended at least two premieres. However, as of the present, I like Salonen, Gubaidulina etc. a lot more. Saariaho's music is wonderful but seems too much like music composed in a vacuum, an utopian idealistic artificial world. Salonen, for instance, is more human and easier to connect to on a human level. Don't misunderstand me, I do rate Sariaho highly and indeed consider her one of the best living composers. But I will eagerly await and follow Salonen's compositions much much more now.
I like Salonen and Lindberg much better than Saariaho who is still a tough nut for me to crack. I own three Salonen recordings of his own music and they are all first-rate. Do you own the releases on Sony and DG, Paul? Awesome music. The recording
Wing On Wing is my personal favorite. I'm still eagerly awaiting a recording of his
Violin Concerto.
For me, it is unfair to compare Saariaho and Salonen. I am not saying that Salonen is far superior to her, but rather that they had a different culture of influences going into their music. Saariaho's music to me does seem a bit 'utopian', so to say, but it also seems a bit more exploratory than Salonen's music. Saariaho is always searching for new sounds, and because of that her music has much more varying qualities. She still has composed some first rate music, though. Salonen is much more set in his compositional ways, so he has more works that are 'solid'. The problem I have sometimes with his music, though, is that his works aren't as distinctive from each other as Saariaho's. I like both composers quite a bit, and I already feel a bit bad for comparing the two, for I feel it does a disservice to one, if not both, of these composers (depending on your point of view). Of course, this is just my opinion, and I welcome someone else's insights on these two.
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 27, 2012, 07:20:38 PM
I like Salonen and Lindberg much better than Saariaho who is still a tough nut for me to crack. I own three Salonen recordings of his own music and they are all first-rate. Do you own the releases on Sony and DG, Paul? Awesome music. The recording Wing On Wing is my personal favorite. I'm still eagerly awaiting a recording of his Violin Concerto.
I think I have everyone so far. I am eagerly awaiting the VC as well!
Here's a good and economical reissue of her works. I got this the other day in NYC but haven't yet put it on rotation.
[asin]B006O8K3YK[/asin]
This month Ondine has released (http://www.ondine.net/?lid=en&cid=2.2&oid=4974) a recording of La Passion de Simone on a hybrid SACD. Saariaho's birthday last year was a big deal in Helsinki and Dawn Upshaw and Esa-Pekka Salonen were on hand. It's a pity that Ondine is releasing a live recording instead of studio, though (our new concert hall is of such acoustic excellence there's no need to move everyone to a different venue for recording; it shouldn't have been hard for the label to get a recording without the audience there).
Quote from: lescamil on May 27, 2012, 10:54:21 PM
aariaho's music to me does seem a bit 'utopian', so to say,
I wonder what her politics are?
I just purchased this. The samples sounded great. I almost always have to start with chamber works and she doesn't seem to have so many. Anyway, I hope the music lives up to the strength of the samples.
[asin]B008P76UYU[/asin]
Quote from: edward on April 02, 2008, 07:51:21 AM
That was where I started with Saariaho, albeit on the original issue sans papillons. The three main works on the disc are all comparatively early ('80s all, I think) and more modernistic, less melodic than her more recent work. That disc or either of these two ones with more recent compositions seems to me to be a good introduction to her work:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51HTMFYYPTL._SS500_.jpg)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Q476S07FL._SS500_.jpg)
awaiting the arrival of the SONY disc,...
what might you say are the best discs concerning the Salonen/SONY partnership? Lindberg & Saariaho seem to top the list? I can't remember if there are other cool discs...
I actually listened to that Sony disk yesterday for the first time since getting it a few months ago. Graal didn't grab me, but the vocal work Chateau was very intriguing.
Quote from: Artem on October 18, 2015, 09:41:59 AM
I actually listened to that Sony disk yesterday for the first time since getting it a few months ago. Graal didn't grab me, but the vocal work Chateau was very intriguing.
+1
My first exposure to
Saariaho's music was this
Salonen disc, which I got when it first apperaed. I really,
really liked
Château de l'âme, and the piece made me want to explore her output more. I think she is a great composer, with a potent and original voice, but sometimes her work (e.g.,
Oltra Mar) falls into soemthing I can only describe as "new age blandness". But still, I enjoy most of her works...
Quote from: ritter on October 18, 2015, 10:24:50 AM
+1
My first exposure to Saariaho's music was this Salonen disc, which I got when it first apperaed. I really, really liked Château de l'âme, and the piece made me want to explore her output more. I think she is a great composer, with a potent and original voice, but sometimes her work (e.g., Oltra Mar) falls into soemthing I can only describe as "new age blandness". But still, I enjoy most of her works...
Quote from: Artem on October 18, 2015, 09:41:59 AM
I actually listened to that Sony disk yesterday for the first time since getting it a few months ago. Graal didn't grab me, but the vocal work Chateau was very intriguing.
I'm only dipping into the vocal work, saving the cello for tonight... so far, typically sumptuous, likable...
Also whipped out 'Du cristal': sure, what's not to like? A Spectralist Anthem, this piece is a great "pop" intro to the field, but I don't mean the word frivolously- however, it's not as gruff as Grisey, it's very smooth and delectable. I can see where some might accuse her of "Utopianism", and, maybe too much of her would reenforce this, but, this piece can stand up to scrutiny,... somehow reminds me of 'Logan's Run'.
Just been reading a New York Times review of L'Amour de Loin http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/arts/music/review-met-opera-amour-de-loin-kaija-saariaho.html?_r=0
Quote from: jessop on December 04, 2016, 03:20:00 PM
Just been reading a New York Times review of L'Amour de Loin http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/arts/music/review-met-opera-amour-de-loin-kaija-saariaho.html?_r=0
It is being shown in the "Live in HD" series on Saturday, and I'm hoping to see it then.
--Bruce
Quote from: Brewski on December 05, 2016, 12:07:25 PM
It is being shown in the "Live in HD" series on Saturday, and I'm hoping to see it then.
--Bruce
Terrific! I'd like to know what you think as well........
I have listened to this opera countless times but unfortunately I've never seen it. I always find myself in admiration of Lepage's productions and it seems like he's being very creative with this show 8) (even his very traditional
Ring is more interesting to me than the older traditional one the Met did tbh)
Saariaho is a very difficult composer for me. I feel her music does not contain any clues about how to decode it and what it is about. I have tried her music many times, but every time it leaves me perplexed.
L'aile du songs
Notes on Light/Orion/Mirage
:(
Quote from: 71 dB on December 07, 2016, 02:35:09 AM
Saariaho is a very difficult composer for me. I feel her music does not contain any clues about how to decode it and what it is about. I have tried her music many times, but every time it leaves me perplexed.
L'aile du songs
Notes on Light/Orion/Mirage
:(
It took me a little white with her music as well. I came to listen to Finnish composers through Rautavaara first before discovering a love for Sibelius and Kokkonen. Saariaho came next. ;D
Her music to me comes from a very different soundworld to other Finnish composers, probably why I came to love her music much more recently. I got over my expectations about what I thought Finnish music ought to like and was blown away by a piece called Noanoa (here is an excerpt):
https://www.youtube.com/v/pS4ny7GU_Os
Somehow, listening to her music feels like stepping through a gateway and into a completely different, surreal but beautiful universe.
Quote from: jessop on December 07, 2016, 02:54:43 AM
It took me a little white with her music as well. I came to listen to Finnish composers through Rautavaara first before discovering a love for Sibelius and Kokkonen. Saariaho came next. ;D
The only Finnish composers to my taste seem to be Einar Englund and Einojuhani Rautavaara, but I admit I haven't explored that much.
Quote from: jessop on December 07, 2016, 12:38:28 AM
Terrific! I'd like to know what you think as well........
I have listened to this opera countless times but unfortunately I've never seen it. I always find myself in admiration of Lepage's productions and it seems like he's being very creative with this show 8) (even his very traditional Ring is more interesting to me than the older traditional one the Met did tbh)
Here is an excerpt from a laudatory review by Heidi Waleson of the
Wall Street Journal:
QuoteYet the opera is filled with action: The constantly changing psychological and emotional states of the characters, as they struggle with the ideal and the real, are exquisitely limned in Ms. Saariaho's sensual music. This dynamism was front and center, expressed musically by the superb Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, under the expert leadership of Susanna Mälkki in her house debut. (This, too, was a milestone in the breaking of glass ceilings—she is only the fourth woman to conduct at the Met.)
As the orchestra explored the score's extraordinary timbral variety, laying out its volcanic emotion as well as its shimmering beauty, the production was doing the same thing. Strings with thousands of LED lights were stretched across the stage (Michael Curry designed the set and costumes; Lionel Arnould the lightscape images). Representing the sea, their colors changed kaleidoscopically, flowing with the moods of the characters and reinforcing the shape of the music. And they were more than just metaphor: In the spectacular opening of Act IV, they looked exactly like waves in stormy, surging ocean. It was a long way from Mr. Lepage's leaden Met "Ring" with its earthbound Machine.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/lamour-de-loin-review-songs-across-the-sea-1480716175 (http://www.wsj.com/articles/lamour-de-loin-review-songs-across-the-sea-1480716175)
BUMP!
Sorry. I want to comment on here but don't have time now, so this way it's easier for me to find this thread later.
And BTW, I'm a new fan of Saariaho!
Quote from: TheGSMoeller on October 02, 2017, 12:18:32 PM
BUMP!
Sorry. I want to comment on here but don't have time now, so this way it's easier for me to find this thread later.
And BTW, I'm a new fan of Saariaho!
Great to hear! Here is a very cool piece of hers I have come across only this year:
https://www.youtube.com/v/Z8DoHd3AUds
Quote from: jessop on October 02, 2017, 06:21:54 PM
Great to hear! Here is a very cool piece of hers I have come across only this year:
https://www.youtube.com/v/Z8DoHd3AUds
Great! Thanks,
Jessop.
I've been making my way through the below box set. And I'm starting to hear the different phases of her compositional career.
[asin]B006O8K3YK[/asin]
I'm happy to announce the release of a new recording of Saariaho's music. Violinist Jennifer Koh tackles the following works:
- Tocar for violin and piano (with Nicolas Hodges, piano)
- Cloud Trio for string trio (with Hsin-Yun Huang, viola and Wilhelmina Smith, cello)
- Light and Matter for piano trio (with Nicolas Hodges, piano and Anssi Karttunen, cello)
- Aure for violin and cello (with Anssi Karttunen, cello)
- Graal théâtre for violin and chamber orchestra (with the Curtis 20/21 Ensemble, led by Conner Gray Covington)
I urge any fan of Saariaho's music and/or great violin playing to listen to this recording. It's absolutely stunning in every respect.
(http://www.cedillerecords.org/album-artwork/183-Cover_SM.jpg?action-thumbnail&Width=365&Height=365&algorithm=fill_proportional)
I haven't written to this thread yet, and there's a lot I have to say about Saariaho's music, but I'll keep it short this time. I love her music, and many of her works remain great favourites of mine: L'amour de loin, Notes on Light, D'Om le vrai sens, Mirage, La passion de Simone... The list goes on and on. I've been fortunate enough to catch a few Finnish premieres of her work. I'm eagerly looking forward to any new recordings...
Very much enjoying Stilleben here -- the recording has become practically impossible to find
https://www.youtube.com/v/_SHstZNd7wQ
Quote from: Mandryka on June 24, 2020, 10:03:16 AM
Very much enjoying Stilleben here -- the recording has become practically impossible to find
https://www.youtube.com/v/_SHstZNd7wQ
Thanks for this! (I'm a little surprised this thread has been dormant since 2018!)
Don't know this piece at all, so will look forward to getting to it soon.
--Bruce
Just bought this. Apparently Stilleben and Lichtbogen are related in some way -- intertextual references.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/dX_BCclG_sCcqoJGaPN4Io4YXWqhdubo_lEwlBETMsP__tOrt0MkrybWQunBvY3Iz0hTlbeLk0wkePPN_KV3nJpbp_UrGGVBxNEh4JIYx_e_XGutHN6eWGNo_ZanhhT2Mf1erTPmc70f_vATHJyNPXhOXZ-LaokS2uvREau_PMbMjh2QFq5ZT-UsEVsrc2zS2bEdn8lSr75w4rpLbNd_R8YzX3P0EwsSDXt4oGMlStrnCFiAhMV4LbSKtGY9xs5MAQ=w5000-h5000)
On the 70th birthday of Kaija Saariaho, a double dose of her work, in this fantastic livestream from the Helskinki Philharmonic with Susanna Mälkki and cellist Anssi Karttunen. She's in the audience, along with her husband, the composer Jean-Baptiste Barrière (who also does a lot of her electronics).
https://www.helsinkikanava.fi/fi/web/helsinkikanava/player/event/view?eventId=190604330
MATTHEW WHITTALL: Hiljaisuus puhuu (ke.)
KAIJA SAARIAHO: Notes on Light
KAIJA SAARIAHO: Verblendungen
JEAN SIBELIUS: Symphony No.4
-Bruce
Quote from: Brewski on October 14, 2022, 09:24:47 AM
On the 70th birthday of Kaija Saariaho, a double dose of her work, in this fantastic livestream from the Helskinki Philharmonic with Susanna Mälkki and cellist Anssi Karttunen. She's in the audience, along with her husband, the composer Jean-Baptiste Barrière (who also does a lot of her electronics).
https://www.helsinkikanava.fi/fi/web/helsinkikanava/player/event/view?eventId=190604330
MATTHEW WHITTALL: Hiljaisuus puhuu (ke.)
KAIJA SAARIAHO: Notes on Light
KAIJA SAARIAHO: Verblendungen
JEAN SIBELIUS: Symphony No.4
-Bruce
Great program, nice looking hall too. Thanks for sharing,
Bruce.
Quote from: Brewski on October 14, 2022, 09:24:47 AM
On the 70th birthday of Kaija Saariaho, a double dose of her work, in this fantastic livestream from the Helskinki Philharmonic with Susanna Mälkki and cellist Anssi Karttunen. She's in the audience, along with her husband, the composer Jean-Baptiste Barrière (who also does a lot of her electronics).
https://www.helsinkikanava.fi/fi/web/helsinkikanava/player/event/view?eventId=190604330
MATTHEW WHITTALL: Hiljaisuus puhuu (ke.)
KAIJA SAARIAHO: Notes on Light
KAIJA SAARIAHO: Verblendungen
JEAN SIBELIUS: Symphony No.4
-Bruce
Looking forward to hearing this program! I think very highly of Saariaho and Sibelius, not familiar with Whittall but looking forward to hearing the program!
Sad news: today Kaija Saariaho has died in Paris. Love her music, and had the chance to greet her in person a handful of times. What a talent.
-Bruce
Quote from: brewski on June 02, 2023, 08:59:54 AMSad news: today Kaija Saariaho has died in Paris. Love her music, and had the chance to greet her in person a handful of times. What a talent.
-Bruce
Ah, pants. Sad news, indeed.
Only 70 as well.
RIP
Quote from: brewski on June 02, 2023, 08:59:54 AMSad news: today Kaija Saariaho has died in Paris. Love her music, and had the chance to greet her in person a handful of times. What a talent.
-Bruce
Very sad news indeed. A considerable talent, with some fascinating works.
Quote from: brewski on June 02, 2023, 08:59:54 AMSad news: today Kaija Saariaho has died in Paris. Love her music, and had the chance to greet her in person a handful of times. What a talent.
-Bruce
Very sad to hear this as well.
Quote from: vandermolen on June 02, 2023, 09:14:47 PMVery sad to hear this as well.
Did you go to Innocence?
Here's the announcement of her death from her family
https://scontent-man2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/350983687_1221293485210174_1584739763244711134_n.jpg?_nc_cat=1&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_eui2=AeGd2O6NZjMfyxzNnFv-qtx_qzlrNjJCsxirOWs2MkKzGFYYPspNLJCmToIfoEVIJWOMW-Ngl22bcQ30PSz4ss88&_nc_ohc=IevZ9abO2qYAX_CvdHG&_nc_ht=scontent-man2-1.xx&oh=00_AfCJoWh4xjPzwASiv1MqdOcevG2KHL-pkx-cVLZ8egs3KA&oe=647F64DE
Here's probably my favourite thing by her, the dance music Maa
(https://i.discogs.com/CiLpEevt1TrzseFleOMUazxyPaEio239M8nEDcqh45g/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:400/w:400/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE1Nzc2/ODMtMTMyMjc3Njcw/OS5qcGVn.jpeg)
Quote from: Mandryka on June 02, 2023, 10:59:44 PMDid you go to Innocence?
Here's the announcement of her death from her family
https://scontent-man2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/350983687_1221293485210174_1584739763244711134_n.jpg?_nc_cat=1&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_eui2=AeGd2O6NZjMfyxzNnFv-qtx_qzlrNjJCsxirOWs2MkKzGFYYPspNLJCmToIfoEVIJWOMW-Ngl22bcQ30PSz4ss88&_nc_ohc=IevZ9abO2qYAX_CvdHG&_nc_ht=scontent-man2-1.xx&oh=00_AfCJoWh4xjPzwASiv1MqdOcevG2KHL-pkx-cVLZ8egs3KA&oe=647F64DE
No, I'm afraid not. I heard a most interesting work by her on the radio a few days ago (before the announcement of her death). I have to confess that I didn't realise that she was a woman until the announcement of her death. What music would you recommend, considering my fairly conservative musical taste?
Quote from: vandermolen on June 02, 2023, 11:39:50 PMNo, I'm afraid not. I heard a most interesting work by her on the radio a few days ago (before the announcement of her death). I have to confess that I didn't realise that she was a woman until the announcement of her death. What music would you recommend, considering my fairly conservative musical taste?
I think her later music is more conservative. I wonder if you'd enjoy Terra Memoria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6hZ7ajWM6k&ab_channel=EnglishSymphonyOrchestra
Quote from: Mandryka on June 03, 2023, 12:49:20 AMI think her later music is more conservative. I wonder if you'd enjoy Terra Memoria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6hZ7ajWM6k&ab_channel=EnglishSymphonyOrchestra
I liked it very much 'modern music' with a soul - thank you.
And here (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/arts/music/kaija-saariaho-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=8e-M51NNgTUvbP7cNqHgnzKgarwJpCqh-eENseq_4LEyxfwzalM-1_MMMlBhT6158A1ZWXxYF1POmt4LOfck11mNS_5NkvL8wxkMH8afRsKtd4teTW7PiRkD7FhV8MmtcEYHOdR1Z5gs8-yl1L2f7Kw65kNtqMyyU9HevTdXEfIZlPUt8DMqOjOzeHFHKpKjIwdugRzyf-HpDqrDqdgfV-xN97lID6KkuAL6BoaW7l5kUPuupov8QwUB35FBbXCtIovWFDPzNLdSgcL-IcFiD4QW3YkWvdmIonaPXWIT9F0vHnNLs3U4yztwBoHi4LtpzLijJ1bHoWYfdsl_XpQ2yWE&smid=url-share) is the New York Times obit, by Josh Barone (free, no paywall required).
-Bruce
Never heard one single note of hers, but anyone's death is always a sad news. May God rest her in peace.
RIP Ms. Saariaho. I can't say I've been very taken by what I've heard of her music, but I'm certainly open to suggestions. Anyone have any particular recommendations?
Quote from: brewski on June 03, 2023, 07:30:43 AMAnd here (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/arts/music/kaija-saariaho-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=8e-M51NNgTUvbP7cNqHgnzKgarwJpCqh-eENseq_4LEyxfwzalM-1_MMMlBhT6158A1ZWXxYF1POmt4LOfck11mNS_5NkvL8wxkMH8afRsKtd4teTW7PiRkD7FhV8MmtcEYHOdR1Z5gs8-yl1L2f7Kw65kNtqMyyU9HevTdXEfIZlPUt8DMqOjOzeHFHKpKjIwdugRzyf-HpDqrDqdgfV-xN97lID6KkuAL6BoaW7l5kUPuupov8QwUB35FBbXCtIovWFDPzNLdSgcL-IcFiD4QW3YkWvdmIonaPXWIT9F0vHnNLs3U4yztwBoHi4LtpzLijJ1bHoWYfdsl_XpQ2yWE&smid=url-share) is the New York Times obit, by Josh Barone (free, no paywall required).
-Bruce
Thanks Bruce - an interesting tribute.
Quote from: kyjo on June 03, 2023, 11:11:57 AMRIP Ms. Saariaho. I can't say I've been very taken by what I've heard of her music, but I'm certainly open to suggestions. Anyone have any particular recommendations?
My first exposure to
Saariaho's music was this CD, and it still remains a favourite.
(https://i.discogs.com/sCWKxe-xDeGt3V0QAus_UlfgAI59_8odcQHqj_0kWkE/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:500/w:500/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTExMTYx/MDYtMTE5MzI5MDc0/Ni5qcGVn.jpeg)
All three works on it,
Graal théâtre for violin and orchestra,
Amers for cello and orchestra, and the song cycle
Château de l'âme for soprano, female chorus and orchestra, are great, but the last mentioned one is what made me fall in love with
Saariaho's music.
Here is the last song, ravishingly sung by
Dawn Upshaw:
Shocked to hear this, 70 is no age really.
I haven't heard much of her recent work, something to remedy and found it hard to get a handle on many of the earlier pieces. Graal théâtre on the CD Ritter suggests would be my suggestion of an entry point to Saariaho's music.
Just found her opera
Innocence on YouTube:
-Bruce