Kaija Saariaho

Kaija Saariaho

Kaija Saariaho (IPA2|ˈkɑijɑ 'sɑːriˌɑho) (born October 14, 1952) is a Finnish composer.

Kaija Saariaho studied composition in Helsinki, Freiburg and Paris, where she has lived since 1982. Her studies and research at IRCAM have had a major influence on her music and her characteristically luxuriant and mysterious textures are often created by combining live music and electronics. Although much of her catalogue comprises chamber works, from the mid-nineties she has turned increasingly to larger forces and broader structures, such as the opera "L’amour de loin", premiered at the 2000 Salzburg Festival (with a US premiere at the Santa Fe Opera in 2002), and "Oltra mar" for chorus and orchestra, commissioned by the New York Philharmonic. Her second opera, "Adriana Mater", was commissioned for the Opéra National de Paris’ 2006 season. Her second string quartet, "Terra Memoria", was commissioned for the Emerson Quartet by Carnegie Hall for a June 2007 premiere.

Life and work

Kaija Saariaho was born in Helsinki and studied music at the Sibelius Academy there. She later studied in Freiburg (under Brian Ferneyhough and Klaus Huber) and at IRCAM in Paris. Most critics, however, cite spectral music composers Gerard Grisey and Tristan Murail as her largest influences. Her work in the 1980s and 1990s is marked by its emphasis on timbre and use of electronics alongside traditional instruments; "Nymphéa (Jardin secret III)" (1987), for example, is for string quartet and live electronics. It contains an additional vocal element: the musicians whispering the words to a poem by Tarkovsky. In the late 1990s Saariaho began to eschew electronics and focus increasingly on melody.

Saariaho was influenced by post-serialism, but she grew to find it too restrictive: "You were not allowed to have pulse, or tonally oriented harmonies, or melodies. I don't want to write music through negations. Everything is permissible as long as it's done in good taste."

She has won the Prix Italia and, in 1989, the Prix Ars Electronica; received commissions from Lincoln Center for the Kronos Quartet and from IRCAM for the Ensemble Intercontemporain; and has been the subject of a pan-European collaborative project to produce a CD-ROM Prisma about her work.

In 2000 she won the Nordic Council Music Prize for the work "Lonh" for soprano and electronics.

She was awarded the title "Musician of the Year 2008" (announced by Musical America, the US publishing company for performing arts), for being "among the few contemporary composers to achieve public acclaim as well as universal critical respect"

Career highlights

*1976-81 - studied composition with Paavo Heininen at the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki
*1982 - attended courses in computer music at IRCAM, Paris and took up residence there
*1986 - awarded Kranichsteiner Prize at Darmstadt
*1989 - awarded Ars Electronica Prize for Stilleben and Io; one year residency at the University of San Diego
*1991 - composition of ballet music Maa, premiered by Finnish National Ballet
*2003 - awarded the Grawemeyer Award for "L’amour de loin"

Key works

* "Verblendungen" (1984; orchestra)
* "Nymphéa" (1987; string quartet, electronics)
* "Petals" (1988; cello, electronics)
* "Du cristal..." (1989; orchestra, live electronics)
* "...à la Fumée" (1990; solo alto flute and cello, orchestra)
* "Graal théâtre" (1994; violin, orchestra)
* "L’amour de loin" (2000; opera)
* "Orion" (2002; orchestra)
* "Adriana Mater" (2005; opera)
* "Notes on Light" (2007; cello concerto)
* "Terra Memoria" (2007; string quartet)

Selected recordings

* "Graal Théâtre" - Gidon Kremer; BBC Symphony Orchestra; Esa-Pekka Salonen - Sony SK60817
* "L’Amour de loin" - Gerald Finley; Dawn Upshaw; Finnish National Opera; Esa-Pekka Salonen - Deutsche Grammophon DVD 00440 073 40264
* "Nymphéa" - Cikada String Quartet - ECM New Series 472 4222

External links

* [http://www.saariaho.org Kaija Saariaho's homepage]
* [http://www.chesternovello.com/Default.aspx?TabId=2431&State_2905=2&composerId_2905=1350 Chester Music Composer's homepage]
* [http://www.compositiontoday.com/articles/saariaho.asp CompositionToday - Saariaho article and review of works]
* [http://www.iawm.org/articles_html/Iitti_saariaho1.html Sanna Iitti , “Kaija Saariaho: Stylistic Development and Artistic Principles” "International Alliance for Women in Music Journal", 2001]

Persondata
NAME = Saariaho, Kaija
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Finnish composer
DATE OF BIRTH = October 14, 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH = Helsinki, Finland
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kaija Saariaho — Nom de naissance Kaija Anneli Laakkonen Naissance 14 octobre 1952 (1952 10 14) (59 ans) Helsinki …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Kaija Saariaho — Nacimiento …   Wikipedia Español

  • Kaija Saariaho — (* 14. Oktober 1952 in Helsinki) ist eine finnische Komponistin. Leben und Werk Saariaho studierte an der Sibelius Akademie in Helsinki bei dem Avantgardisten Paavo Heininen und gründete mit Magnus Lindberg und anderen die Gruppe Open Ears. Sie… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Orion (œuvre de Kaija Saariaho) — Orion (Saariaho) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Orion. Orion est une œuvre pour orchestre de la compositrice finlandaise Kaija Saariaho. Elle est dédiée à Franz Welser Möst et à l Orchestre de Cleveland. L œuvre Orion a été créée en janvier… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Saariaho — Kaija Saariaho (* 14. Oktober 1952 in Helsinki) ist eine finnische Komponistin. Saariaho studierte an der Sibelius Akademie in Helsinki bei dem Avantgardisten Paavo Heininen und gründete mit Magnus Lindberg und anderen die Gruppe Open Ears. Sie… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Saariaho — Saariaho,   Kaija, finnische Komponistin, * Helsinki 14. 10. 1952; Studium in Helsinki, in Freiburg im Breisgau und am IRCAM in Paris. In Saariahos Schaffen nehmen Computerkompositionen einen bevorzugten Platz ein. Ihre Werke sind oft von… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Adriana Mater (Saariaho) — Adriana Mater Adriana Mater est le second opéra de Kaija Saariaho, en sept tableaux ; le livret est d Amin Maalouf, qui avait déjà signé celui de L Amour de loin, le première opéra de Saariaho. Celle ci a dédié son œuvre à sa mère, mais le… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • L'Amour de loin (Saariaho) — L Amour de loin L Amour de loin est le premier opéra de Kaija Saariaho. C est un opéra en cinq actes, sur un livret d Amin Maalouf, inspiré par la vie du troubadour Jaufré Rudel. Création Il fut créé le 15 août 2000 lors du Festival de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Orion (Saariaho) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Orion. Orion est une œuvre pour orchestre de la compositrice finlandaise Kaija Saariaho. Elle est dédiée à Franz Welser Möst et à l Orchestre de Cleveland. L œuvre Orion a été créée en janvier 2003 par l… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Amin Maalouf — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Maalouf. Amin Maalouf …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”