Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023)

[ahinton]

RIP

[Serial_Apologist]

RIP

No great age by today's standards - so sad. I loved her music since first hearing it - she was always a favourite among that band of modernist inspirers.

[HighlandDougie]

Very sad news. She will be much missed as, well, an inspiration to other composers and musicians. I hope that her music will continue to live on.

[DracoM]

[bluestateprommer]

Some on-line tributes:

Wise Music Classical: https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/n...aho-1952-2023/

YLE / Finnish Radio: https://yle.fi/a/74-20001581

New York Times (full tribute to follow in due course): https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/a...iaho-dead.html

The health diagnosis from the NYT article explains why she took her curtain call in the Aix-en-Provence video of Innocence from a wheelchair. I remember a glimpse of her at Santa Fe Opera back in 2008, when she was there for their production of Adriana Mater. Condolences to her family.

P.S. Some additional links from European sites:

Radio France: https://www.radiofrance.fr/francemus...teinte-3618459

Netherlands Radio 4: https://www.nporadio4.nl/klassiek/po...onische-muziek

[Bryn]

I hope this link works for those not on Facebook too: https://scontent-man2-1.xx.fbcdn.net...KA&oe=647F64DE

You will probably have to zoom in on it.

[alywin]

No great age by today's standards - so sad.

Sadly, brain tumours are no respecters of age :(

A great loss. RIP

[Mandryka]

I knew she was ill because she cancelled an interview at the Barbican last month. Sad news of course. I’m very fond of her music from the 20th century - I’m playing the dance music Maa now and I think it’s provoking and challenging and interesting and beautiful. Maa is how I’ll remember her this weekend.

[RichardB]

Kaija had the same kind of brain tumour that did for my father 13 years ago. As Alywin says, it's no respecter of age. With so many friends and colleagues having departed this world in recent months I feel myself beginning to turn gradually towards something resembling resignation, that this is just going to go on happening more and more frequently until it's my own turn. Kaija was a strong and truthful artist and someone I always enjoyed talking to on the infrequent occasions when we met. She was basically quite a traditional, even romantically inclined, composer who was nevertheless awake to the possibilities of new ways of thinking and new technologies for music.

[RichardB]

Here is an article by the NYT's Zachary Woolfe with links to audio and/or video recordings 11 of Kaija's "essential" works, including Innocence:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/arts/music/kaija-saariaho-music-playlist.html?smid=fb-share&fbclid=IwAR21PtuNMBNz3m49ErYXmmlT8fEPdEl1636zFwgKT4Gp4EpvH8pzoh2dvv4

[Mandryka]

France Radio programme in her honour

https://www.radiofrance.fr/francemusique/podcasts/le-concert-du-soir/concert-hommage-kaija-saariaho-7768385

[Pulcinella]

Times obituary:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/kaija-saariaho-obituary-29fnqv905?shareToken=6cb9cb83c7302f50c16fdafcdf66fbf7

[Quarky]

RIP Kaija.
An extremely courageous lady.

[frankbridge]

Very sad news indeed. I remember coming across her music at the Proms, where she wrote a violin concerto for Gidon Kremer (called, I think, "Graal Theatre" but I may be wrong): my friend in the arena shouted out 'burn the witch' but I was captivated by her sound world, and sought out her recordings on CD. Fortunately, there was one which I eventully managed to get my mits on, Ondine released a collection of her works with Esa Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles in 'Du cristal`and 'a la fumee' and the Kronos Quartet in 'Nymphet' for strings and electronics, which I shall play in her memory.

RIP Kaija

[RichardB]

'Nymphet' for strings and electronics

Freudian slip of the week, I think