Evocative and otherworldly, Kaija Saariaho’s soundscapes are rich in textural and timbral detail. Known especially for her works for instruments with electronics, ICE presents this rare all-acoustic concert featuring Saariaho’s chamber works up close and personal at Roulette.
Miranda’s Lament (1997-1999), for cello, flute, harp, soprano, violin
Changing Light (2002), for soprano and violin
Oi Kuu (1990), for bass flute and cello
Tocar (2010), for violin and piano
Serenatas (2008), for piano, percussion and cello
Terrestre (2003), for flute, violin, cello, harp, and percussion
Kaija Saariaho is not only among the most important Finnish composers of her time, but must be ranked as one of the leading composers of the late twentieth and early twenty first centuries. She has produced a vast and much-admired body of work, including the operas L’Amour de loin, which premiered a few years ago and has established itself as a modern classic. 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. 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 operas L’Amour de loin, premiered at the 2000 Salzburg Festival, and Oltra mar, commissioned by the New York Philharmonic.
