Esa-Pekka Salonen

Magnus Lindberg’s Piano Concerto No. 3 was recently premiered by Yuja Wang and the San Francisco Symphony, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. The concerto is a virtuoso affair, writes Jari Kallio.

"Witnessing the well-oiled production machinery of the FNB at work, one can sense that every creative contributor has had enough space and responsibility to dispel any need for power struggles or artistic compromises. The goal was reached through a common effort."

The professional profile and operating environment of Finnish composers of classical music have become increasingly international at a rapid rate in the past three decades. Back in the day, few composers spent extensive periods of time abroad, and any trips they did take were mainly for study or for inspiration and did not necessarily involve immersion in the local music scene. This started to change in the 1990s, as the Finnish music industry began to integrate into the international music industry.

How does artificial intelligence sing? Art made using AI has emerged as a genre unto itself in the arts in recent years. Laila is a new production of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet that brings AI into real-time interaction with audience members.

The Finnish National Opera and Ballet has launched an extensive project to integrate cutting-edge technology into the world of art in multiple ways, seeking synergies and tools for new kinds of cooperation and communality in both planning and audience relations. However, the FNOB like most of Finnish society is currently shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All rehearsals and performances have been cancelled for the time being, including the ‘Opera Beyond’ conference and premiere this spring. Obviously the world will change as a result of this crisis, and the art of opera will change too.

Collaborative composing is not common among Finnish composers of art music, and the approach raises several critical questions. Is it even possible to share musical creation and innovation with another person? Does group work inevitably lead to bland or incoherent compromises, or can it produce art of a high quality? Is the incentive for engaging in this that it is trendy or that commissioners want it that way, or do composers have other reasons for co-authoring works? Despite the numerous reservations, some composers have found collaboration to be an enriching aspect of writing music.

For conductor Dalia Stasevska, being appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and making her début at the Proms are not a flash in the pan but the result of hard work. Now the door is open to an international career, and she sees the domain of top international conductors as a playground without boundaries.

"The Ondine recording with works for solo cello by Esa-Pekka Salonen and Kaija Saariaho presents powerful and straightforward interpretations by the US cellist Wilhelmina Smith."

In summer 1979, a number of Finnish composers and musicians attended a summer course in Siena, Italy. Three of them hit on an idea for a practical joke, and this led to a grand swindle that prompted hilarity on the music scene and had many authoritative figures ending up with egg on their face. The hoax was masterminded by three composers: Eero Hämeenniemi, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Magnus Lindberg. Both of the latter turned 60 in June 2018.

The Tampere Biennale once again showcased a broad spectrum of new music from home and abroad. Instead of the mainstream, the festival focused on the margins of creative musical art and explored interfaces between branches of the arts.

It is difficult to imagine a more interesting premise: the Kamus Quartet, who have been in the same lineup since the group was established, playing suave and energetic chamber music by Esa-Pekka Salonen, György Ligeti and Benjamin Britten.

The huge tide of humanity that almost overwhelmed the 2017 NMD was also its triumph: a characteristic gift from London, European capital of creative curiosity and of the big crowd.

In 1980, the Nordic Music Days were held in Helsinki but with some non-Nordic guests at the party: a deputation of composers from Great Britain. It has taken us Brits nearly four decades to return the favour, but in September 2017 we will do so in some style as the entire four-day festiva is transplanted to London.

The Helsinki summer season culminates with the Helsinki Festival, a longstanding multi-arts festival attracting a fairly established culture-loving crowd. The Festival’s overall multi-disciplinary approach is also present at the individual event level. This summer’s concerts pair music with dance, film and immersive theatre expression.

After a string of debuts with renowned orchestras, Santtu-Matias Rouvali is about to take up two significant new positions. Andrew Mellor met him to discuss psychology, leadership and Finland’s musical future.

Kaija Saariaho has been a frequent visitor to the USA in recent years, and her music has been widely performed in various concert series and at festivals there. The premiere of a new production of her first opera, L’amour de loin, at the Metropolitan Opera in December 2016 will be an operatic event such as has not been seen for decades, and it will be broadcast to cinemas around the world. Not only that, but she is also working on a new opera.

Ville Matvejeff is one of the most successful classical musicians in Finland today. He performs as a conductor and pianist around the world, he is artistic director or musical advisor at festivals, and he has composition commissions lined up for several years to come. His career is exceptionally diverse and wide-ranging.

The music of Esa-Pekka Salonen is like top design. It is controlled, streamlined, intelligent and functional – a pleasure, in other words...

"It may sound a bit crazy, but I actually think of myself more as a composer than a conductor. It just so happens that the conducting side has outweighed the composing," says Esa-Pekka Salonen in 1998.

Although still only 28, Esa-Pekka Salonen probably needs little introduction for anyone with even a moderate interest in classical music, since he has already gained what is known in the jargon of concert programmes as “an international reputation” for his conducting work. In this article, however, we take a look at the still small, but not insignificant output of Salonen the composer. When Esa-Pekka Salonen looks in the mirror, does he see a conductor or a composer looking back at him?

"These days Esa-Pekka Salonen is a superstar who spends seven months of each year composing and the rest conducting some of the world’s finest orchestras. He has seen the music scene in Finland change fundamentally since the founding of the FMQ."