Four commercial releases of works by Kaija Saariaho are out this Spring, including a debut recording of True Fire (2014) for baritone and orchestra, Trans (2015) for harp and orchestra and the orchestral piece Ciel d’hiver (2013). Available on the Ondine label from May 10, 2019, this release features the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hannu Lintu with bass-baritone Gerald Finley and harpist Xavier de Maistre as soloists. Ciel d’hiver is based on the movement of the same name from the orchestral piece Orion (2002) which exists on this Ondine recording from 2008 by Orchestre de Paris conducted by Christoph Eschenbach.
Kaija Saariaho: True Fire, Trans & Ciel d'hiver
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Hannu Lintu, conductor
Gerald Finley, bass-baritone
Xavier de Maistre, harp
Release Date: May 10, 2019
Catalogue No: ODE13092
Label: Ondine
PRE-ORDER
‘Ekstasis’, a new recording and multimedia object available on DVD, Blu-ray and CD via the Cypres label, is constructed from sound and image centered around works by Kaija Saariaho and the French composer and film-maker Jean-Baptiste Barrière. The three works by Saariaho - sonic, acoustic and electronic constructions - include Nocturne (1994) with violinist Allisa Neige Barriere, NoaNoa (1992) with flutist Camilla Hoitenga, and Lonh (1996) with soprano Raphaële Kennedy.
Kaija Saariaho & Jean-Baptiste Barriere: Ekstasis Aliisa Neige Barriere, violinCamilla Hoitenga, flute, bass flute, piccoloRaphaële Kennedy, voice
Release Date: April 12, 2019Catalogue No: CYP2624Label: Cypres
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A collection of songs by Saariaho, Per Nørgård and Rolf Wallin will be released on May 3, 2019 with a new AMC album ’Face to Face’ featuring soprano Lina Johnson and pianist Anne-Marie Lipsonen. It includes Saariaho’s Quatre Instants (2002), Nørgård’s Three Magdalene Songs (1991) and Wallin’s Three Poems by Rainer Maria Rilke (1994).
Face to Face: Saariaho, Nørgård, Wallin
Lina Johnson, soprano
Anne-Marie Lipsonen, piano
Release Date: May 3, 2019
Catalogue No: AMC006
Label: AMC Amchara Classical
PRE-ORDER
Another release out this year is dedicated to the bold cello works of both Saariaho and Esa-Pekka Salonen, presented by cellist Wilhelmina Smith. The recording includes Saariaho’s Petals (1988), Spins and Spells (1997) and Sept Papillons (2000), as well as Salonen’s Yta III (1986) and knock, breath, shine (2010). Furthermore, the album joins together both composers’ reinventions of the Giuseppe Colombi Chaconne with Dreaming Chaconne (2010) by Saariaho and Sarabande per un Cayote (2010) by Salonen.
Salonen & Saariaho: Works for Solo Cello
Wilhelmina Smith, cello
Release Date: March 8, 2019
Catalogue No: ODE1294-2
Label: Ondine
ORDER
About Kaija SaariahoKaija Saariaho is a prominent member of a group of Finnish composers and performers who are now, in mid-career, making a worldwide impact. She 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. Saariaho has claimed the major composing awards in The Grawemeyer Award, The Wihuri Prize, The Nemmers Prize, The Sonning Prize, The Polar Music Prize. She is currently composing a new opera to premiere in 2020.
