Kaija Saariaho: Autumn 2016
15th August 2016
In August 2016 Tokyo’s Suntory Hall will host a two-concert celebration of the music of Kaija Saariaho. The first concert, on August 24, focuses on her chamber music and includes performances of Sept Papillons, Terrestre ,Tocar, and the Japanese premiere of Notes on Light given by Ensemble Stern, Seitaro Ishikawa (conductor/piano), and Anssi Karttunen (cello).
On August 30 Ernest Martínez-Izquierdo, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and Spanish harpist Xavier de Maistre will give the world premiere of Saariaho’s new concerto, Trans. This second portrait concert will also include a performance of Saariaho’s orchestral work Orion. Trans has been commissioned by the Suntory Foundation for Arts, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Radio France and Hessischer Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester. The piece will receive several premieres across Europe throughout 2017. To find out more about performances of Trans click here.
SWR Symphonieorchester – Saariaho & Mahler
On September 22 the inaugural concert of the newly formed SWR Symphonieorchester will include Gustav Mahler’s Adagio and Cinq reflets by Kaija Saariaho. This event sets the scene for the two featured composers - Kaija Saariaho and Gustav Mahler - in the upcoming 2016-2017 season, offering inspiring programming ideas in juxtaposing these composers oeuvres.
In November Orion will follow with Mahler’s Symphony No 1 conducted by Christoph Eschenbach, and Ingo Metzmacher will present the early orchestral work by Saariaho, Du Cristal, alongside Mahler’s Symphony No 7. The series will be complemented by performances of Lumières et Pesanteur (February 2017) and the song cycle Château de l’âme (June 2017).
Please visit swr classic to see all concert dates.
La Biennale di Venezia 2016
Venice’s largest contemporary music festival, the Biennale Musica – now in its sixtieth year – opens on October 7 and will feature a new work for clarinet, string quartet and piano by Saariaho. Figura, commissioned by the Biennale, will be performed by Kari Kriikku (clarinet), Tuija Hakkila (piano) and the Diotima Quartet alongside works by Nono and Gervasoni on the opening night of the festival.
Several other works by Music Sales composers will receive Italian premieres at the festival: Wanderlied by Betsy Jolas, Gene Takes a Drink by Michael Gordon, Reeling by Julia Wolfe, Letter 27 by Bryce Dessner, Three Études for Solo Piano by Nico Muhly, and Isabelle Eberhardt Dreams of Pianos by Missy Mazzoli.
For the full programme of Biennale Musica 2016 click here.
Salonen conducts Saariaho
On October 13 and 14 Esa-Pekka Salonen will conduct the New York Philharmonic in a full evening of Saariaho’s music at the Park Avenue Armory in New York. The American soprano Jennifer Zetlan will open the concert with Lonh before clarinettist Kari Kriikku, fresh from his performance in Venice, joins the orchestra for D’OM LE VRAI SENS. Also featured in the programme are Saariaho’s Circle Map and Lumière et Pesanteur, for its US premiere.
