Esa-Pekka Salonen (; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish orchestral
conductor
Conductor or conduction may refer to:
Music
* Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra.
* ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas
* Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...
and
composer. He is principal conductor and artistic advisor of the
Philharmonia Orchestra in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, conductor laureate of the
Los Angeles Philharmonic, and music director of the
San Francisco Symphony.
Life and career
Early work
Born in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
, Finland, Salonen graduated from
Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu (SYK), one of the top high schools in Finland, in 1977 and then went to study
horn and
composition at the
Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, as well as conducting with
Jorma Panula. His conducting classmates included
Jukka-Pekka Saraste and
Osmo Vänskä.
Another classmate on the composition side was the composer
Magnus Lindberg and together they formed the new-music appreciation group Korvat auki ("Ears open" in the
Finnish language
Finnish (endonym: or ) is a Uralic language of the Finnic branch, spoken by the majority of the population in Finland and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. Finnish is one of the two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish ...
) and the experimental ensemble
Toimii
Toimii (Finnish "It works") is an ensemble for new music founded in the spring of 1980 by Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg with several other young composers and instrumentalists connected with the Sibelius Academy. Along with the new-music appreci ...
(lit. "It works"). Later, Salonen studied with the composers
Franco Donatoni,
Niccolò Castiglioni, and
Einojuhani Rautavaara.
His first experience with conducting came in 1979 with the
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, though he still thought of himself principally as a composer; in fact, Salonen has said that he took up conducting primarily to ensure that someone would conduct his own compositions. In 1983, however, he replaced an indisposed
Michael Tilson Thomas to conduct a performance of
Mahler's ''
Symphony No. 3'' with the
Philharmonia Orchestra in London on very short notice, without ever having studied the score, and it launched his career as a conductor. He was subsequently principal guest conductor of the Philharmonia from 1985 to 1994.
Salonen was principal conductor of the
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1984 to 1995. He co-founded the Baltic Sea Festival in 2003 with and
Valery Gergiev
Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (russian: Вале́рий Абиса́лович Ге́ргиев, ; os, Гергиты Абисалы фырт Валери, Gergity Abisaly fyrt Valeri; born 2 May 1953) is a Russian conductor and opera company di ...
. This summer music festival presents new classical music and aims to bring the countries around the Baltic Sea together and to raise awareness of environmental deterioration of the Baltic. It continues to be held annually in one of the region's countries.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Salonen made his conducting debut in the United States with the
Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1984. He said:
In 1989, he was offered the title of Principal Guest Conductor by Executive VP
Ernest Fleischmann and was to take the orchestra on a tour of Japan; however, controversy ensued when
André Previn
André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieve ...
, the orchestra's music director at the time, was not consulted on either the Principal Guest appointment or the tour, and objected to both. Continued friction between Fleischmann and Previn led to Previn's resignation in April 1989. Four months later, Salonen was named the orchestra's tenth music director, officially taking the post in 1992 and holding it until 2009.
Salonen's tenure with the orchestra began with a residency at the 1992
Salzburg Festival in concert performances and as the pit orchestra in a production of the opera ''
Saint François d'Assise'' by
Olivier Messiaen; it was the first time an American orchestra was given that opportunity. Salonen later took the orchestra on many other tours of the United States, Europe, and Asia, and residencies at the
Lucerne Festival in
Switzerland,
The Proms in London, in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
for a festival of Salonen's own works, and in 1996 at the
Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris for a
Stravinsky festival conducted by Salonen and
Pierre Boulez; it was during this Paris residency that key Philharmonic board members heard the orchestra perform in improved acoustics and were re-invigorated to lead fundraising efforts to complete construction of
Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Under Salonen's leadership, the Philharmonic became an extremely progressive and well-regarded orchestra.
Alex Ross of ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issue ...
'' said this:
In 2007, Salonen and the orchestra announced the conclusion of his music directorship in 2009, with
Gustavo Dudamel
Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramírez (born 26 January 1981) is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist who is the music director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Paris Opera.
Early life
Dudamel was b ...
taking his place.
Before Salonen's last concert as Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic on 19 April 2009, the orchestra announced his appointment as its first Conductor
Laureate.
In addition, the LA Philharmonic created the Esa-Pekka Salonen Commissions Fund "for the express purpose of supporting the commissioning and performance of new works" as a way to honor his support of contemporary classical music during his tenure as music director. At its inception, it was endowed with $1.5 million.
During Salonen's tenure as music director, the orchestra gave 120 pieces their world or American debuts and commissioned over 54 new works. By the time he stepped down, he had served as music director longer than anyone else in the orchestra's history, leading the orchestra in 973 concerts and 23 tours.
Philharmonia and subsequent career
In November 2006, the
Philharmonia Orchestra announced the appointment of Salonen as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor at the beginning of the 2008–2009 season. His initial contract was for 3 years. Salonen has conducted several commercial recordings with the Philharmonia, including music of Berlioz and Schönberg. In November 2010, the Philharmonia announced the extension of Salonen's contract to 2014. In September 2013 the orchestra announced the further extension of Salonen's contract through the 2016–2017 season. In December 2018 the Philharmonia announced that Salonen would conclude his principal conductorship of the orchestra after the 2020–2021 season.
Salonen made his
Metropolitan Opera conducting debut in November 2009 with the
Patrice Chéreau production of
Leoš Janáček
Leoš Janáček (, baptised Leo Eugen Janáček; 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and other Slavic musics, including Eastern European ...
's ''
From the House of the Dead''.
In 2012 his
violin concerto written for
Leila Josefowicz won the
Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition. In March 2014 he was awarded the
Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Musical Composition by the
Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music
The Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music is the music and performance arts school of Northwestern University. It is located on Northwestern University's campus in Evanston, Illinois, United States.
The school was previously known as the North ...
at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Chart ...
. The award includes a $100,000 cash prize, a residency of four nonconsecutive weeks at the school over the next two years, and a performance by the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
In the same spring he was also awarded the first creative chair at the
Tonhalle Orchester Zürich for the 2014–2015 season. This post included lectures, workshops, but, most significantly, the commissioning of ''
Karawane'', a new piece for orchestra and chorus based on
Hugo Ball's
dada poetry and the performance of nine other Salonen pieces throughout the season.
In autumn 2015 Salonen began a three-season appointment as composer-in-residence of the
New York Philharmonic.
He serves as an advisor to The Sync Project, a global collaboration seeking to understand and harness music's effect on brain health. In August 2016 Salonen was named the first artist in association with the
Finnish National Opera and Ballet
The Finnish National Opera and Ballet ( fi, Suomen Kansallisooppera ja -baletti; sv, Finlands Nationalopera och -balett) is a Finnish opera company and ballet company based in Helsinki. It is headquartered in the Opera House on the coast of the ...
.
Salonen first guest-conducted the
San Francisco Symphony (SFS) in 2004. He returned for guest-conducting appearances in 2012 and 2015. In December 2018 the SFS announced the appointment of Salonen as its next music director, effective with the 2020–2021 season, with an initial contract of five seasons.
Digital projects
Salonen and the
Philharmonia Orchestra have worked on multi-disciplinary festivals together, including ''Woven Words: Music begins where words end'' to celebrate the centenary of the birth of
Witold Lutosławski, Salonen's mentor. They also created the award-winning RE-RITE installation, which was first exhibited in London in 2009 and has since travelled to Portugal, China, Turkey, Germany, and Austria. The digital residency allows members of the public to conduct, play and step inside the Philharmonia Orchestra with Salonen through audio and video projections of musicians performing ''
The Rite of Spring''. They followed-up with another installation, ''Universe of Sound'', which was based on
Gustav Holst's ''
The Planets'', debuted at London's Science Museum, and won the 2012
Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Audiences and Engagement. Salonen and the Philharmonia Orchestra, in partnership with
Music Sales Group, Rite Digital, and
Touch Press, released a successful
iPad app,
"The Orchestra". ''
Slate'' called the interactive tour through orchestral history "the perfect classical music app." In the autumn of 2016 the Philharmonia Orchestra launched a digital takeover of the
Southbank Centre, featuring the first major virtual-reality production from a UK symphony orchestra.
Apple campaign
In 2014 Salonen was part of an international television and web campaign for
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ances ...
, promoting
iPad Air. The campaign included not only the ad itself, but also discussions with Salonen on classical music, inspiration, and composing. Apple also offered a new and, for a limited time, free recording of Salonen's Grawemeyer prize-winning
violin concerto, featuring the violinist
Leila Josefowicz and the Philharmonia Orchestra, 20 of Salonen's classical music picks on the
iTunes Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
classical music page, 15 of Salonen's iPad app picks in the app store, and a guest DJ station on iTunes Radio.
The ad was noted for "the novelty of seeing a contemporary classical composer in a piece of mainstream advertising," for the synchronisation of the video editing with the score, and for the positive portrayal of classical music as compared to its typical pop cultural image. Salonen also did a concert with violinist
Leila Josefowicz and the Philharmonia Orchestra in an Apple store in Berlin and spoke about mixing music and technology. It was the first time that a full orchestra had performed in an Apple store.
In the summer of 2015 Salonen spoke on the uses of technology in music education to a group of Apple Distinguished Educators.
Personal life
Salonen and his ex-wife, Jane Price (a former musician with the Philharmonia Orchestra), have three children: daughters Ella Aneira and Anja Sofia, and son Oliver.
The couple separated in 2017
and filed for divorce in June 2018 after 26 years of marriage.
When
Igor Stravinsky's former
Beverly Hills residence, at 1260 North Wetherly Drive, was put up for sale, Salonen strongly considered buying it. He stated, however, that after visiting the house and noting that indentations from Stravinsky's piano were still visible in the carpet, he was too intimidated by the prospect of trying to compose in the same house where Stravinsky had written such works as
Symphony in Three Movements, the
Concerto in D for Strings, ''
The Rake's Progress'', ''
Orpheus
Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to ...
'', ''
Agon
Agon (Greek ) is a Greek term for a conflict, struggle or contest. This could be a contest in athletics, in chariot or horse racing, or in music or literature at a public festival in ancient Greece. Agon is the word-forming element in 'agony', ...
'', the
Cantata, and the
Mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different element ...
.
Honours and awards
In April 2010 Salonen was elected a Foreign Honorary Fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, ...
. In May 2010 he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from the
University of Southern California, and later the same day spoke at the graduation ceremony for the
USC Thornton School of Music. Salonen carried the
Olympic flame on 26 July 2012, as part of the
2012 Summer Olympics torch relay. In December 2020 he was appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(KBE), for services to music and UK-Finland relations.
Career highlights
*1981 – Completed first large scale work, ''...auf den ersten Blick und ohne zu wissen...''
*1983 – Co-founded
Avanti! Chamber Orchestra in Finland with
Jukka-Pekka Saraste
*1985 – Appointed chief conductor of
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
*1992 – Wins the UNESCO
International Rostrum of Composers
*1992 – Became
Music Director of
Los Angeles Philharmonic
*1993 – Becomes the first conductor to receive the prestigious Siena Prize of the
Accademia Chigiana
*1995 – Artistic Director of
Helsinki Festival
*1997 – Conducts
Ligeti's opera, ''Le Grand Macabre'', at the
Salzburg Festival with the
Philharmonia Orchestra
*1997 – World premiere of ''
LA Variations
''L.A. Variations'' (sometimes stylized as ''LA Variations'') is an orchestral composition by the Finnish composer Esa-Pekka Salonen. The work was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, of which Salonen was then music director. It was firs ...
'' in Los Angeles
*1999 – Music Director of the
Ojai Music Festival.
*2000 – Conducting sabbatical to concentrate on composing
*2001 – Music Director of the
Ojai Music Festival.
*2003 – Opening concerts at
Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, subsequently televised in the United States on PBS ''Great Performances''
*2005 – Festivals of his own compositions, performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Los Angeles and
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
*2006 – Named "Musician of the Year" by ''Musical America''
*2007 – "The Tristan Project," performed in Los Angeles and New York
*2007 – World premiere of his
Piano Concerto with
Yefim Bronfman (piano) and the
New York Philharmonic
*2008 – Began tenure as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra
*2009 – World premiere of his
violin concerto with
Leila Josefowicz (violin) and the Los Angeles Philharmonic
*2011 – Salonen wins the 2012
University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition for his Violin Concerto
*2014 – Salonen wins the
Nemmers Prize in Music Composition
The Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition is awarded biennially from the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. The prize money is US$100,000 and the prize includes a performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The priz ...
*2014 – Salonen named Creative Chair at the
Tonhalle Orchester Zürich
*2015 – Salonen named Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic
*2017 – World premiere of his
cello concerto with
Yo-Yo Ma (cello) and the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Composing
Salonen's compositions include his ''Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra'' (''auf den ersten Blick und ohne zu wissen'') (1980, with a title taken from
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ty ...
's ''
The Trial''), ''Floof'' for
soprano and ensemble (1982, on texts by
Stanisław Lem) and the orchestral ''
L.A. Variations
''L.A. Variations'' (sometimes stylized as ''LA Variations'') is an orchestral composition by the Finnish composer Esa-Pekka Salonen. The work was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, of which Salonen was then music director. It was firs ...
'' (1996).
Salonen has stated that his time in California has helped him to be more "free" in his compositions. Mark Swed, chief music critic of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'', described it this way:
When alonenarrived in Los Angeles, he still liked to consider himself a composer-conductor, but the truth was that he had stopped writing music. "The obvious and easy explanation for me to give to people when they were asking why there hadn't been any new pieces for a while was that I had been conducting so much, I had no time," he said. "But that was only half the explanation."
As a European Modernist, Salonen said, he had been inculcated with negatives, such as to avoid melody, harmonic identity and rhythmic pulse. Secretly, though, he was attracted to John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
, who was then dismissed overseas as being simplistic. "Only after a couple of years here did I begin to see that the European canon I blindly accepted was not the only truth," he said. "Over here, I was able to think about this rule that forbids melody. It's madness. Madness!"
Without a European musical elite looking over his shoulder, Salonen began to feel that it was fine to have his own ideas. "My focus moved from an ideological principle to a pleasure principle" is how he described the composition of his breakthrough piece, "LA Variations," which the Philharmonic premiered in 1997.
Although a work of great intricacy and virtuosity that doesn't ignore Salonen's Modernist training, "LA Variations" builds on rhythmic innovations closer to Adams. The piece proved an immediate hit, so much so that Salonen was stunned by the reaction and then by the score's continuing success – it has been taken up by several other conductors and had more than 80 performances worldwide.
In order to devote more time to composition, Salonen took a year's sabbatical from conducting in 2000, during which time he wrote a work for solo horn (''Concert Étude'', the competition piece for Lieksa Brass Week), ''Dichotomie'' for pianist Gloria Cheng, ''Mania'' for the cellist
Anssi Karttunen and sinfonietta, and ''Gambit'', an orchestral piece that was a birthday present for fellow composer and friend
Magnus Lindberg.
In 2001, Salonen composed ''Foreign Bodies'', his largest work in terms of orchestration, which incorporated music from the opening movement of ''Dichotomie''. Another orchestral piece, ''Insomnia'', followed in 2002, and another, ''
Wing on Wing
''Wing on Wing'' is a single-movement composition for two sopranos and orchestra by the Finnish composer Esa-Pekka Salonen. The work was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic for their inaugural season at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and ...
'', in 2004. ''Wing on Wing'' includes parts for two sopranos and distorted samples of architect
Frank Gehry's voice as well as a fish.
As is apparent with his interpretations of such avant-garde works as Jan Sandström's ''
Motorbike Odyssey ''Motorbike Odyssey'' is the Trombone Concerto No. 1 by Swedish composer Jan Sandström. The concerto for solo tenor trombone and large orchestra, written in 1989, is sometimes called ''Motorbike Concerto''. It was dedicated to the trombone virtuos ...
'', Salonen voices a distaste for ideological and dogmatic approaches to composition and sees music creation as deeply physical. In the liner notes for
Deutsche Grammophon's release of ''Wing On Wing'', he is quoted saying "Musical expression is bodily expression, there is no abstract cerebral expression in my opinion. It all comes out of the body." A recurring theme in his music is the fusion of or relationship between the mechanical and the organic.
Salonen has among his intended composing projects a proposed opera based on the novel ''The Woman and the Ape'' by
Peter Høeg
Peter Høeg (born 17 May 1957) is a Danish writer of fiction. He is best known for his novel ''Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow'' (1992).
Early life
Høeg was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Before becoming a writer, he worked variously as a sailor, ...
.
Selected compositions
World premiere details shown where available, Salonen conducting unless otherwise shown
;Orchestra
* ''Giro'' (1982, rev. 1997), premiered by
Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra; Finland, 27 November 1981
* ''
L.A. Variations
''L.A. Variations'' (sometimes stylized as ''LA Variations'') is an orchestral composition by the Finnish composer Esa-Pekka Salonen. The work was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, of which Salonen was then music director. It was firs ...
'' (1996), premiered by Los Angeles Philharmonic; Los Angeles, 16 January 1997
* ''
Foreign Bodies'' (2001), premiered by Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra,
Jukka-Pekka Saraste; Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Kiel, 12 August 2001
* ''
Insomnia'' (2002), premiered by NHK Symphony Orchestra; Tokyo, 1 December 2002
* ''
Stockholm Diary ''Stockholm Diary'' is a composition for string orchestra by the Finnish composer Esa-Pekka Salonen. The work was commissioned by the Stockholm Concert Hall Foundation for the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and the Stockholm Chamber Orchest ...
'' (2004), premiered by Stockholm Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Stockholm, Composer Festival, 27 October 2004
* ''
Helix
A helix () is a shape like a corkscrew or spiral staircase. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is formed as two intertwined hel ...
'' (2005), premiered by World Orchestra for Peace,
Valery Gergiev
Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (russian: Вале́рий Абиса́лович Ге́ргиев, ; os, Гергиты Абисалы фырт Валери, Gergity Abisaly fyrt Valeri; born 2 May 1953) is a Russian conductor and opera company di ...
; London, 29 August 2005
* ''
Nyx
Nyx (; , , "Night") is the Greek goddess and personification of night. A shadowy figure, Nyx stood at or near the beginning of creation and mothered other personified deities, such as Hypnos (Sleep) and Thanatos (Death), with Erebus (Darknes ...
'' (2010), premiered by Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France; Paris, 19 February 2011
* ''
Karawane'' (2014), premiered by the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich and Zurich Singing Academy,
Lionel Bringuier;
Tonhalle Zürich, 10 September 2014
;Concertos
* Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra (''... auf den ersten Blick und ohne zu wissen ...'') (1980), premiered by Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Pekka Savijoki, saxophone; Helsinki, 22 September 1981
* ''Mimo II'' for oboe and orchestra (1992), premiered by Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jorma Valjakka, oboe; Helsinki, 14 December 1992
* ''Mania'' for cello and orchestra (2002), orchestra version of "Mania for Cello and Chamber Ensemble"
* ''
Wing on Wing
''Wing on Wing'' is a single-movement composition for two sopranos and orchestra by the Finnish composer Esa-Pekka Salonen. The work was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic for their inaugural season at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and ...
'' for two sopranos and orchestra (2004), premiered by Los Angeles Philharmonic; Jamie Chamberlin and
Hila Plitmann, sopranos; 5 June 2004
* ''
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra'' (2007), premiered by New York Philharmonic,
Yefim Bronfman, piano; New York, 1 February 2007
*
''Concerto for Violin and Orchestra'' (2009), premiered by Los Angeles Philharmonic,
Leila Josefowicz, violin; Los Angeles, 9 April 2009
* ''
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra'' (2017), premiered by Chicago Symphony Orchestra,
Yo-Yo Ma, cello; Chicago, 15 March 2017
* ''
Concerto for Organ and Orchestra'' (2022), premiered by Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra,
Iveta Apkalna, organ; Katowice, 13 January 2023
;Choir
* ''Dona Nobis Pacem'' (2011) for SATB chorus, premiered at Chatelet Theatre, 4 February 2011
;Chamber ensemble
*''Floof (Songs of a Homeostatic Homer)'' (1988) for soprano and chamber ensemble, premiered by Toimii Ensemble, Anu Komsi, soprano; Helsinki, 27 August 1988
*''Five Images after Sappho'' (1999) for soprano and chamber ensemble, premiered by Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group,
Laura Claycomb
Laura Claycomb (born August 23, 1968) is an American lyric coloratura soprano singer.
Background
Claycomb was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, but grew up in Dallas, where she excelled in church and school choir, winning numerous youth competitio ...
, soprano; Ojai, California, 4 June 1999
*''
Dichotomie
''Dichotomie'' is a two-movement composition for solo piano by the Finnish composer Esa-Pekka Salonen. The work was completed in October 2000 and was first performed by pianist Gloria Cheng on December 4, 2000 in Los Angeles. Salonen, Esa-Pekka (2 ...
'' (2000) for solo piano, premiered by Gloria Cheng, piano; Los Angeles, 4 December 2000
*''Mania'' (2000) for cello and chamber ensemble, premiered by Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, Anssi Karttunen, cello, Summer Sounds; Porvoo, 2 July 2000
*''
Lachen verlernt
''Lachen verlernt'' (''Laughing Unlearnt'') is a chaconne for solo violin by the Finnish composer Esa-Pekka Salonen. The work was commissioned by the La Jolla Chamber Music Society's SummerFest with additional contributions from Joan and Irwin M. ...
'' (2002) for solo violin, premiered by
Cho-Liang Lin, violin;
La Jolla
La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781.
La Jolla is surrounded on ...
, California, La Jolla SummerFest, 10 August 2002
Selected world premiere performances
In addition to conducting his own compositions, Salonen has actively championed other composers' music, most notably
Anders Hillborg,
Magnus Lindberg,
Kaija Saariaho, and
Steven Stucky. Many noteworthy compositions have even been dedicated to Salonen. Below is a list of some of the world premieres that he has conducted:
;
John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
* ''
Naïve and Sentimental Music'', Los Angeles Philharmonic (19 February 1999)
* ''
The Dharma at Big Sur ''The Dharma at Big Sur'' is a composition for solo electric violin and orchestra by the American composer John Adams. The piece calls for some instruments (harps, piano, samplers) to use just intonation, a tuning system in which intervals sound pu ...
'', Tracy Silverman (electric violin), Los Angeles Philharmonic (24 October 2003)
;
Samuel Adams
* Chamber Concerto,
Karen Gomyo (violin), Chicago Symphony Orchestra (May 2018)
;
Louis Andriessen
* ''Haags Hakkûh'' (The Hague Hacking) – Double Piano Concerto,
Katia and Marielle Labèque (pianos), Los Angeles Philharmonic (16 January 2009)
;
Anna Clyne
*''
Within Her Arms ''Within Her Arms'' is a composition for string orchestra by the British-born composer Anna Clyne. The work was commissioned by the conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. It was first performed April 7, 2009 at the Walt Disn ...
'' for string orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic (7 April 2009)
;
John Corigliano
* ''
The Red Violin'' (motion picture score),
Joshua Bell (violin), Philharmonia Orchestra
;
Franco Donatoni
* ''Esa (in Cauda V)'', Los Angeles Philharmonic (16 February 2001)
;
* ''Violin Concerto'', Janine Jansen, Orchestre de Paris (17 December 2008)
;
Anders Hillborg
* ''Clang and Fury'', Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
* ''Celestial mechanics'' Stockholm Chamber Orchestra (31 October 1986)
* ''Liquid marble'', Orkester Norden, (Tampere 1995)
* ''Meltdown Variations'', Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group (1999)
* ''Dreaming Rivers'', Royal Stockholm Philharmonic (1999)
* Piano Concerto (revised version)
Roland Pöntinen and the AVANTI! Chamber Orchestra
* ''Eleven Gates'', Los Angeles Philharmonic (4 May 2006)
* ''Flood Dreams'', Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Brussels, 2009)
* ''Sirens'',
Anne Sofie von Otter and the Los Angeles Philharmonic (2011)
;
William Kraft
* ''The Grand Encounter'', English Horn Concerto, Carolyn Hove (English horn), Los Angeles Philharmonic (16 January 2003)
;
Peter Lieberson
* ''
Neruda Songs'',
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (mezzo-soprano), Los Angeles Philharmonic (20 May 2005), winner: 2008
Grawemeyer Award (Music Composition)
;
Magnus Lindberg
* ''
Kraft
The second incarnation of Kraft Foods is an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz in 2015.
A merger with Heinz, arra ...
'' for solo ensemble & orchestra, Finnish Radio Orchestra and the
Toimii
Toimii (Finnish "It works") is an ensemble for new music founded in the spring of 1980 by Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg with several other young composers and instrumentalists connected with the Sibelius Academy. Along with the new-music appreci ...
ensemble (4 September 1985)
* ''Campana in Aria'' for horn and orchestra, Hans Dullaert (horn), Radio Filharmonisch Orkest Holland (June 1998)
* ''
Fresco'' for orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, (1998)
*
Cello Concerto No. 1,
Anssi Karttunen (cello), Orchestre de Paris (May 1999)
* Chorale for orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra (2002)
* ''
Parada Parada may refer to:
Places Portugal
* Parada (Alfândega da Fé), a civil parish in the municipality of Alfândega da Fé
* Parada (Almeida), a civil parish in the municipality of Almeida
* Parada (Arcos de Valdevez), a civil parish in the munic ...
'' for orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra (6 February 2002)
* ''
Sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
'' for orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, (6 October 2005)
*
Cello Concerto No. 2, Anssi Karttunen (cello), Los Angeles Philharmonic (18 October 2013)
;Larry Lipkis
* "Harlequin" for bass trombone and orchestra, Jeffrey Reynolds (bass trombone), David Weiss, Los Angeles Philharmonic (23 May 1997)
;
Steven Mackey
* "Deal" for electric guitar and large ensemble,
Bill Frisell (guitar),
Joey Baron (drums), Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group (17 April 1995)
;
Colin Matthews
* Horn Concerto,
Richard Watkins
Richard Watkins (born 1962) is a French horn, horn player. He performs as a concerto soloist and chamber music player. He was Principal Horn of the Philharmonia Orchestra from 1985 to 1996, a position he relinquished to devote more time to his s ...
(horn), Philharmonia Orchestra (April 2001)
;
David Newman
* ''Tales from
1001 Nights
''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...
'' with film by
Yoshitaka Amano, Los Angeles Philharmonic (30 April 1998)
;
Gabriela Ortiz
* ''Altar de Piedra'', concerto for percussion ensemble & orchestra,
Kroumata (percussion), Los Angeles Philharmonic, January 2003
;
Arvo Pärt
*
Symphony No. 4, ''Los Angeles'', Los Angeles Philharmonic (10 January 2009)
;
Joseph Phibbs
* ''Rivers to the Sea'', Philharmonia Orchestra (22 June 2012)
;
Bernard Rands
* Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic (24 February 1994)
;
Roger Reynolds
* Symphony (''The Stages of Life''), Los Angeles Philharmonic (29 April 1993)
;
Kaija Saariaho
* ''Du Cristal'', Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (September 1990)
* "…a la fumée," Petri Alanko (alto flute) and
Anssi Karttunen (cello), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (March 1991)
* ''Graal Théâtre'' for violin and orchestra,
Gidon Kremer (violin), BBC Symphony Orchestra (September 1995)
* ''
Adriana Mater'', Orchestra & Choir of the Paris Opera (April 2006)
;
Rodion Shchedrin
* Piano Concerto No. 5,
Olli Mustonen (piano), Los Angeles Philharmonic (21 October 1999)
;
Dmitri Shostakovich
* Prologue to ''
Orango
Orango is one of the Bijagós Islands, located off the coast of mainland Guinea-Bissau. At , it is the largest island in the archipelago. The island has a population of 1,250 (2009 census); the largest village is Eticoga. '' (orchestration by Gerard McBurney), Ryan McKinny (Veselchak, bass-baritone), Jordan Bisch (Voice from the Crowd/Bass, bass),
Michael Fabiano
Michael Fabiano (born 8 May 1984) is an American operatic tenor. Born in Montclair, New Jersey, he has performed in leading opera houses throughout the world, including the San Francisco Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opera, Sydney Opera, Te ...
(Zoologist, tenor), Eugene Brancoveanu (Orango, baritone), Yulia Van Doren (Susanna, soprano), Timur Bekbosunov (Paul Mash, tenor),
Los Angeles Master Chorale (
Grant Gershon, Music Director), Los Angeles Philharmonic (2 December 2011)
;
Roberto Sierra
* "Con madera, metal y cuero" for percussion soloist and orchestra,
Evelyn Glennie (percussion), Los Angeles Philharmonic (21 January 1999)
;
Steven Stucky
*''
Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary'' (after
Purcell), for wind ensemble (February 1992)
*
Concerto for Two Flutes and Orchestra, Anne Diener-Zentner (fka Anne Diener-Giles) and Janet Ferguson (flutes), Los Angeles Philharmonic (23 February 1995)
* ''Ancora'', Los Angeles Philharmonic (5 October 1995)
* ''American Muse'',
Sanford Sylvan (baritone), Los Angeles Philharmonic (29 October 1999)
*
Second Concerto for Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic (12 March 2004) (Winner: 2005
Pulitzer Prize for Music)
* ''
Radical Light'', Los Angeles Philharmonic (18 October 2007)
;
Augusta Read Thomas
* ''Canticle Weaving: Trombone Concerto #2'',
Ralph Sauer Ralph C. Sauer is an American trombonist, arranger and teacher. He was Principal Trombonist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 32 years.
Sauer was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the Eastman School of Music where he studied ...
(trombone), Los Angeles Philharmonic (29 March 2003)
;
Mark-Anthony Turnage
* ''From the Wreckage'' for trumpet and orchestra,
Håkan Hardenberger (trumpet), Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (5 September 2005)
* ''From All Sides'', Chicago Symphony and
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (25 January 2007)
Recordings
Salonen is renowned for his dedication to performing and recording
contemporary music. His 1985 recording of
Witold Lutosławski's
Symphony No. 3 won the 1985
Gramophone Award, the
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
, and a Caecilia Prize for Best Contemporary Recording. He later recorded Lutosławski's ''Symphony No. 4'' with the
Los Angeles Philharmonic, once for
Sony Classical, and later in a live recording at Walt Disney Concert Hall for
Deutsche Grammophon. He also worked with the
Philharmonia Orchestra to record the complete works of
György Ligeti for Sony Classical, but the project was left unfinished due to lack of funding.
Best-known recordings
* Esa-Pekka Salonen: ''Concerto for Alto Saxophone; Floof; Meeting; Nachtleider; Mimo II; Yta I; Yta II; Yta IIb; Yta III'' – Pekka Savijoki; Anu Komsi; Kari Krikku; Jukka Tiensuu; Jorma Valjakka; Mikael Helasvuo; Tuija Hakkila; Anssi Karttunen; Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Avanti! Chamber Orchestra; Esa-Pekka Salonen – Finlandia 0927 43815 2
*
Bartók: Piano Concertos 1, 2, and 3 (
Yefim Bronfman, piano) (
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
); Sony Classical SBK89732
* Esa-Pekka Salonen: ''Five Images After Sappho; Gambit; Giro; LA Variations; Mania'' –
Dawn Upshaw; Anssi Karttunen; Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra; London Sinfonietta; Esa-Pekka Salonen – Sony SK89158
* Esa-Pekka Salonen: ''Foreign Bodies; Insomnia; Wing on Wing'' – Anu Komsi; Piia Komsi;
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Esa-Pekka Salonen –
Deutsche Grammophon 477 5375
*
John Corigliano: ''Red Violin'' – Joshua Bell, solo violin; Philarmonia Orchestra; Sony Classical SK63010
*
Arnold Schoenberg: Violin Concerto in D Minor,
Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto –
Hilary Hahn, solo violin;
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra –
Deutsche Grammophon B0011WMWUW –
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra)Hilary Hahn Photo
, Daylife (February 8, 2009)
* Henri Dutilleux: '' Correspondances''; '' Tout un monde lointain''; ''The shadows of time'' – Barbara Hannigan; Anssi Karttunen; Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France – Deutsche Grammophon 0289 479 1180 7
* Esa-Pekka Salonen: ''Out of Nowhere;'' Nyx and Violin Concerto; Leila Josefowicz; Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Esa-Pekka Salonen; Deutsche Grammophon B008W5TDP8
With Los Angeles Philharmonic
;Deutsche Grammophon
* Bartók: Suite, The Miraculous Mandarin
* Mussorgsky: '' St. John's Night on the Bare Mountain'' (original version)
*Salonen: ''Helix''
*Salonen: Piano Concerto ( Yefim Bronfman, piano)
* Shostakovich (orchestration by Gerard McBurney): Prologue to ''Orango
Orango is one of the Bijagós Islands, located off the coast of mainland Guinea-Bissau. At , it is the largest island in the archipelago. The island has a population of 1,250 (2009 census); the largest village is Eticoga. ''—Ryan McKinny (Veselchak, bass-baritone), Jordan Bisch (Voice from the Crowd/Bass, bass), Michael Fabiano
Michael Fabiano (born 8 May 1984) is an American operatic tenor. Born in Montclair, New Jersey, he has performed in leading opera houses throughout the world, including the San Francisco Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opera, Sydney Opera, Te ...
(Zoologist, tenor), Eugene Brancoveanu (Orango, baritone), Yulia Van Doren (Susanna, soprano), Timur Bekbosunov (Paul Mash, tenor), Los Angeles Master Chorale ( Grant Gershon, Music Director) (world premiere recording)
*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43
* Stravinsky: '' The Rite of Spring''
;DG Concerts — recorded live at Walt Disney Concert Hall
*Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
: Symphony No. 5
*Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
*Beethoven: Symphony No. 8
*Beethoven: Overture, Leonore No. 2
* Debussy: ''La mer La Mer may refer to:
* ''La mer'' (Debussy), an orchestral composition by Claude Debussy
* "La Mer" (song), a 1946 song by Charles Trenet
*La Mer (horse)
La Mer was a thoroughbred racehorse, who raced from 1976 to 1979.
La Mer was sired by Co ...
''
* Falla: '' El amor brujo''
* Anders Hillborg: ''Eleven Gates'' (world premiere recording)
* Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Weber
Weber (, or ; German: ) is a surname of German origin, derived from the noun meaning " weaver". In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English surname 'Webber' or even 'Weaver'.
Notable pe ...
* Husa: '' Music for Prague 1968''
* Ligeti: ''Concert românesc''
* Lutosławski: Concerto for Orchestra
*Lutosławski: Symphony No. 4
* Mosolov: '' Iron Foundry''
* Pärt: Symphony No. 4, "Los Angeles" (world premiere recording)
* Prokofiev: Suite from '' Romeo & Juliet''
* Ravel: '' Ma mère l'Oye''
*Ravel: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D ( Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano)
*Salonen: ''Helix''
* Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D major for orchestra, Op. 43
* Shostakovich: Music from '' Lady Macbeth of Mtensk District''
*Shostakovich: Suite from ''The Nose''
* Stravinsky: ''The Firebird
''The Firebird'' (french: L'Oiseau de feu, link=no; russian: Жар-птица, Zhar-ptitsa, link=no) is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1910 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's ...
''
* Wagner: ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'', Prelude
*Wagner: ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'', "Was duftet doch der Flieder" (Bryn Terfel
Sir Bryn Terfel Jones, (; born 9 November 1965) (known professionally as Bryn Terfel) is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly ''Figaro'', '' Leporello'' and '' ...
, bass-baritone)
*Wagner: ''Die Walküre'', The Ride of the Valkyries
*Wagner: ''Die Walküre'', Wotan's Farewell and Magic Fire Music (Bryn Terfel, bass-baritone)
*Wagner: ''Lohengrin'', Prelude to Act III
*Wagner: ''Tannhäuser'', " O du, mein holder Abendstern" (Bryn Terfel, bass-baritone)
;ECM
* Pärt: Symphony No. 4, "Los Angeles"
;Nonesuch
*Adams
Adams may refer to:
* For persons, see Adams (surname)
Places United States
*Adams, California
*Adams, California, former name of Corte Madera, California
*Adams, Decatur County, Indiana
*Adams, Kentucky
*Adams, Massachusetts, a New England town ...
: '' Naïve and Sentimental Music''
;Ondine
*Saariaho
Kaija Anneli Saariaho (; ; born 14 October 1952) is a Finnish composer based in Paris, France. During the course of her career, Saariaho has received commissions from the Lincoln Center for the Kronos Quartet and from IRCAM for the Ensemble I ...
: ''Du cristal ... ''
*Saariaho
Kaija Anneli Saariaho (; ; born 14 October 1952) is a Finnish composer based in Paris, France. During the course of her career, Saariaho has received commissions from the Lincoln Center for the Kronos Quartet and from IRCAM for the Ensemble I ...
: ''... à la fumée'' (Petri Alanko, alto flute; Anssi Karttunen, cello)
;Philips Classics
* Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2 ( Viktoria Mullova, violin)
* Stravinsky: Violin Concerto ( Viktoria Mullova, violin)
;Sony Classical
*Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...
: Transcriptions (by Elgar, Mahler, Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...
, Stokowski, Webern)
* Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra
*Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta
*Bartók: Concerto for Piano No. 1, Sz. 83 ( Yefim Bronfman, piano)
*Bartók: Concerto for Piano No. 2, Sz. 95 ( Yefim Bronfman, piano)
*Bartók: Concerto for Piano No. 3, Sz. 119 ( Yefim Bronfman, piano)
* Bruckner: Symphony No. 4, "Romantic"
* Debussy: '' Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune'' (Janet Ferguson, flute)
*Debussy: ''La mer La Mer may refer to:
* ''La mer'' (Debussy), an orchestral composition by Claude Debussy
* "La Mer" (song), a 1946 song by Charles Trenet
*La Mer (horse)
La Mer was a thoroughbred racehorse, who raced from 1976 to 1979.
La Mer was sired by Co ...
''
*Debussy: '' Images pour orchestre''
*Debussy: Trois nocturnes (Women of the Los Angeles Master Chorale)
*Debussy: ''Le martyre de St. Sébastien'' (Fragments symphoniques)
*Debussy: '' La Damoiselle élue'' ( Dawn Upshaw, soprano; Paula Rasmussen, mezzo-soprano; Women of the Los Angeles Master Chorale)
* Goldmark: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra ( Joshua Bell, violin)
* Hermann: Excerpts, '' Torn Curtain''
*Hermann: Overture, '' North by Northwest''
*Hermann: Prelude, '' The Man Who Knew Too Much''
*Hermann: Suite, ''Psycho
Psycho may refer to:
Mind
* Psychopath
* Sociopath
* Someone with a personality disorder
* Someone with a psychological disorder
People with the nickname
* Karl Amoussou or Psycho, mixed martial artist
* Peter Ebdon or Psycho, English snook ...
''
*Hermann: Suite, '' Marnie''
*Hermann: Suite, ''Vertigo
Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties ...
''
*Hermann: Suite, '' Fahrenheit 451''
*Hermann: Suite, '' Taxi Driver''
* Hindemith: '' Mathis der Maler (symphony)''
*Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Weber
Weber (, or ; German: ) is a surname of German origin, derived from the noun meaning " weaver". In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English surname 'Webber' or even 'Weaver'.
Notable pe ...
*Hindemith: The Four Temperaments ( Emanuel Ax, piano)
* Lutosławski: Symphony No. 1
*Lutosławski: Symphony No. 2
*Lutosławski: Symphony No. 3
*Lutosławski: Symphony No. 4
*Lutosławski: Piano Concerto ( Paul Crossley, piano)
*Lutosławski: '' Chantefleurs et Chantefables'' ( Dawn Upshaw, soprano)
*Lutosławski: Fanfare for Los Angeles Philharmonic
*Lutosławski: ''Les Espaces du sommeil ''Les Espaces du sommeil'' is a work for baritone and orchestra set to a poem of Robert Desnos by the Polish composer Witold Lutosławski. It is in one movement, with a three-section scheme but lacking clearly marked caesuras, about which Lutosław ...
'' ( John Shirley-Quirk, baritone)
* Mahler: Symphony No. 3 ( Anna Larsson, contralto; Ralph Sauer Ralph C. Sauer is an American trombonist, arranger and teacher. He was Principal Trombonist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 32 years.
Sauer was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the Eastman School of Music where he studied ...
, trombone; Donald Green
Donald Philip Green (born June 23, 1961) is a political scientist and quantitative methodologist at Columbia University. Green's primary research interests lie in the development of statistical methods for field experiments and their application ...
, posthorn; Martin Chalifour, violin; Paulist Boy Choristers of California, Women of the Los Angeles Master Chorale)
*Mahler: Symphony No. 4 ( Barbara Hendricks, soprano)
*Mahler: ''Das Lied von der Erde'' ( Plácido Domingo, tenor; Bo Skovhus, baritone)
* Wynton Marsalis: ''All Rise'' (Wynton Marsalis, trumpet; Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra; Paul Smith Singers; Northridge Singers of California State University; Morgan State University Choir)
* Prokofiev: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 ( Cho-Liang Lin, violin)
* Revueltas: ''Homenaje a Federico García Lorca''
*Revueltas: ''La noche de los mayas''
*Revueltas: ''Ocho por radio''
*Revueltas: ''Sensemayá''
*Revueltas: ''Ventanas'' for Large Orchestra
*Revueltas: First Little Serious Piece
*Revueltas: Second Little Serious Piece
*Salonen: ''Gambit''
*Salonen: ''Giro''
*Salonen: ''LA Variations''
* Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1 ( Yefim Bronfman, piano; Thomas Stevens, trumpet)
*Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 2 ( Yefim Bronfman, piano)
*Shostakovich: Quintet for piano and strings, Op. 57 ( Yefim Bronfman, piano, Juilliard String Quartet)
* Sibelius: ''Finlandia''
*Sibelius: ''The Swan of Tuonela''
*Sibelius: ''Valse Triste''
*Sibelius: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra ( Cho-Liang Lin, violin)
*Sibelius: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra ( Joshua Bell, violin)
*Sibelius: '' En saga''
*Sibelius: ''Kullervo'' Symphony, Op. 7 (Marianna Rorholm, mezzo-soprano; Jorma Hynninen, baritone; Helsinki University Men's Chorus)
*Sibelius: '' Lemminkäinen Legends'', Op. 22 (Four Legends from the '' Kalevala'')
* Stravinsky: Violin Concerto ( Cho-Liang Lin, violin)
Other orchestras
;Philharmonia recordings
* Dmitri Shostakovich: Prologue to "Orango" (World Premiere Recording) and Symphony No 4
* Gustav Mahler: Symphony No 9
*Gustav Mahler: Symphony No 6
* Hector Berlioz: ''Symphonie Fantastique'', Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
: ''Leonore'' Overture
* Arnold Schoenberg: ''Gurrelieder''
* Franz Liszt: Piano Concertos 1 & 2 and Sonata in B minor ( Emanuel Ax, piano)
* Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos 2 & 3 ( Yefim Bronfman, piano)
* Magnus Lindberg: ''Cantigas'', Cello Concerto, ''Parada'', & ''Fresco'' ( Anssi Karttunen, cello)
* Igor Stravinsky: ''The Firebird'' & ''The Rite of Spring''
* György Ligeti: ''Le Grand Macabre''
*György Ligeti: Vocal Works ( The King's Singers)
* Arnold Schoenberg: Piano Concerto, Op. 42, Franz Liszt: Piano Concertos 1 & 2 ( Emanuel Ax, piano)
* Igor Stravinsky: ''Petrouchka'' & ''Orpheus''
*Igor Stravinsky: ''Le sacre du printemps'' & Symphony in Three Movements
* André Jolivet: Concerto No 2 for trumpet & Concertino for trumpet, string orchestra & piano, Henri Tomasi: Concerto for trumpet & orchestra ( Wynton Marsalis, trumpet)
* Olivier Messiaen: ''Turangalîla-Symphonie'', Witold Lutosławski: Symphony No 3 (Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Crossley, piano, John Shirley-Quirk, baritone)
* Jean Sibelius: Symphony No 5, Op, 82 and ''Pohjola's Daughter'', Op. 49
;Oslo Philharmonic recordings
* Grieg: '' Peer Gynt'', with Barbara Hendricks, Sony Classical Masters, SK 44528, 1993
;Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra recordings
* Sergei Prokofiev: ''Romeo & Juliet''
;Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra recordings
* Kaija Saariaho: ''La Passion de Simone'' ( Dawn Upshaw, soprano, Tapiola Chamber Choir)
* Magnus Lindberg: Piano Concerto & ''Kraft'' (Toimii
Toimii (Finnish "It works") is an ensemble for new music founded in the spring of 1980 by Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg with several other young composers and instrumentalists connected with the Sibelius Academy. Along with the new-music appreci ...
Ensemble)
* Kaija Saariaho: ''Château de l'âme'', ''Graal Théâtre'' & ''Amers'' ( BBC Symphony Orchestra, Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, Finnish Radio Chamber Choir, Dawn Upshaw, soprano, Gidon Kremer, violin, Anssi Karttunen, cello)
*Magnus Lindberg: ''Kinetics'' (Pekka Savijoko, alto saxophone)
*Magnus Lindberg: ''Metalwork'', ''Ablauf'', ''Twine'', ''Kinetics'', & ''Jeax d‘Anches''
*Magnus Lindberg: ''Kinetics'', Esa-Pekka Salonen: Concerto for Alto Saxophone & Orchestra, Jouni Kaipainen: Sinfonia ( BBC Symphony Orchestra, Pekka Savijoki, alto saxophone)
;Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra recordings
* Igor Stravinsky: ''The Rake's Progress'' ( Barbara Hendricks, soprano, Håkan Hagegård, actor, Greg Fedderly
Greg Fedderly is an American operatic tenor. He is a protégé of Plácido Domingo.
Early life and education
Fedderly attended the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he majored in music. He planned to be a music teacher, but after performin ...
, tenor)
* Carl Nielsen: Violin Concerto, Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto ( Philharmonia Orchestra, Cho-Liang Lin, violin)
*Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 1 and ''Little Suite'' (Stockholm Chamber Orchestra)
* Arvo Pärt: ''Credo'' ( Hélène Grimaud, piano)
* Anders Hillborg: Clarinet Concerto, ''Liquid Marble'', & Violin Concerto ( Martin Fröst, clarinet, Anna Lindal, violin)
* Luigi Dallapiccola: ''Il Prigioniero'' & ''Canti di Prigiona''
* Magnus Lindberg: ''Action'', ''Situation'', ''Signification'', & ''Kraft'' (Toimii
Toimii (Finnish "It works") is an ensemble for new music founded in the spring of 1980 by Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg with several other young composers and instrumentalists connected with the Sibelius Academy. Along with the new-music appreci ...
Ensemble)
*''Clang & Fury'' Anders Hillborg: ''Muoocaaeyiywcoum'', ''Lamento'', ''Celestial Mechanics'', & ''Haut-Posaune'' (Stockholm Chamber Orchestra, Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, Kari Kriikku, clarinet, Christian Lindberg
Christian Lindberg (born 15 February 1958) is a Swedish trombonist, conductor and composer,
Biography
Early life and career
Lindberg was born in Danderyd. As a youth, he learned to play the trumpet, and subsequently began to learn the trombone ...
, trombone, Anna Lindal, violin, Martin Fröst, clarinet)
*Igor Stravinsky: ''Oedipus Rex'' (Eric Ericson Chamber Choir)
*Lars-Erik Larsson
Lars-Erik Vilner Larsson (15 May 190827 December 1986) was a Swedish composer, conductor, radio producer, and educator. He wrote three of the most popular works (each a suite) in Swedish art music: ''A Winter's Tale'' (; 1937–1938), the ''Pa ...
: ''God in Disguise'', ''Pastoral Suite'', & Violin Concerto ( Arve Tellefsen, violin, Hillevi Martinpelto
Hillevi Martinpelto (born 9 January 1958 in Älvdalen) is a Swedish lyric soprano. She made her debut in ''Madama Butterfly'' by Giacomo Puccini in 1987. She is best known for her work with John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir. Wit ...
, soprano, Håkan Hagegård, baritone)
*Carl Nielsen: Flute Concerto, Clarinet Concerto, ''Rhapsody'' Overture, ''Saul & David'', & ''Springtime in Funen'' (Håkan Rosengren
Håkan Rosengren is a Swedish clarinet virtuoso, active in the United States and Europe.
Colleagues
He has worked with:
*Esa-Pekka Salonen
*Neeme Järvi
*Christopher Hogwood
*Osmo Vänskä
*Jorma Panula
*Pascal Verrot
*Jan Krenz
*Matthias Aeschb ...
, clarinet, Per Flemström, flute)
* Franz Berwald: Symphonies 3 & 4 (Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra)
*Wilhelm Stenhammar
Carl Wilhelm Eugen Stenhammar (February 7, 1871 – November 20, 1927) was a Swedish composer, conductor and pianist.
Biography
Stenhammar was born in Stockholm and was the brother of architect Ernst Stenhammar. He received his first musical ed ...
: ''Serenade'', Op. 31, ''Midwinter'', Op. 24, ''Chitra'', Op. 43
*Esa-Pekka Salonen: ''Mimo II'' (Bengt Rosengren, oboe)
*Carl Nielsen: Symphonies 3 & 6 (Pia-Marie Nilsson, soprano, Olle Persson, baritone)
* ''A Nordic Festival'': Hugo Alfvén: Swedish Rhapsody No 1 ''Midsommarvaka'' & ''Bergakungen'', Jean Sibelius: ''Valse Triste'' & ''Finlandia'', Edvard Grieg: ''Sigurd Jorsalfar'', Jón Leifs: ''Geysir'', Carl Nielsen: ''Maskarade'', Armas Järnefelt: ''Berceuse''
*Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 and ''Helios'' Overture
*Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 5 and ''Masquerade'' Overture
;Avanti! Chamber Orchestra recordings
*''The Virtuoso Clarinet'' ( Kari Kriikku, clarinet)
* Magnus Lindberg: ''De Tartuffe'', ''Je crois'', ''Linea d'ombra'', ''Zona'', & ''Ritratto''
* Aarre Merikanto: 10 Pieces for Orchestra, Paavo Heininen: ''Musique d'été'', Op. 11, Magnus Lindberg: ''Rittrato'' (other conductors: Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Ari Angervo)
;London Sinfonietta recordings
* Magnus Lindberg: ''Away'', ''Amanhacendo Liberdade'', ''Circle Wind'', ''Deusa'', ''Sky Dance'', ''Asa Delta'', ''Rapaziada'', ''Nightflower'', ''Save the Earth'' ( Endymion (ensemble))
* Paul Hindemith: ''Kammermusik'' No. 3, Op. 36, No. 2, Aarre Merikanto: ''Konzertstück'', Magnus Lindberg: ''Zona'', Bernd Alois Zimmermann: ''Canto di Speranza'' ( Anssi Karttunen, cello)
* Toru Takemitsu: ''To the Edge of Dream'', ''Toward the Sea'', ''Vers'', ''L'Arc-en-Ciel'', ''Palma'', & Folios for Guitar
* Igor Stravinsky: ''Pulcinella'', Octet, ''Renard'', & ''Ragtime''
* Olivier Messiaen: ''Des canyons aux étoiles'', ''Couleurs de la cité céleste'', & '' Oiseaux exotiques'' ( Paul Crossley, piano)
*Igor Stravinsky: Concerto for piano & wind instruments, Capriccio for piano & orchestra, Movements for piano & orchestra, & Symphonies of wind instruments ( Paul Crossley, piano)
;Stockholm Chamber Orchestra recordings
* Arnold Schoenberg: ''Transfigured Night'', Op. 4 & String Quartet No. 2 (Faye Robinson, soprano)
* Pär Lindgren: ''Fragments of a Circle'', ''Bowijaw'', ''Shadows that in the Darkness Dwell'', & ''Guggi-guggi'' for trombone & tape
* Igor Stravinsky: ''Apollon Musagète'', Concerto in D, & Cantata ( London Sinfonietta, (orchestra & chorus), Ulf Forsberg, violin, Yvonne Kenny, soprano, John Aler, tenor)
* Joseph Haydn: Symphonies 22, 78 & 82
*Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and early Modernism (music), modern eras, he has been descr ...
: Prelude to Capriccio, Op. 85, Concertino for clarinet, bassoon & string orchestra, & ''Metamorphosen'' ( Paul Meyer (clarinetist), Knut Sonstevold, bassoon)
;Stockholm Sinfonietta recordings
*''A Swedish Serenade'': Dag Wirén: Serenade for Strings, Op. 11, Lars-Erik Larsson
Lars-Erik Vilner Larsson (15 May 190827 December 1986) was a Swedish composer, conductor, radio producer, and educator. He wrote three of the most popular works (each a suite) in Swedish art music: ''A Winter's Tale'' (; 1937–1938), the ''Pa ...
: Little Serenade for Strings, Op. 12, Lille Bror Söderlundh
Bror Axel (Lille Bror) Söderlundh (21 May 1912 – 23 August 1957) was a Swedish composer and singer. He composed music for many Swedish films. He also wrote classical music, including the ''Concertino for Oboe and Strings'' which has been perfor ...
: Concertino for oboe & strings, Ingvar Lidholm
Ingvar Natanael Lidholm (24 February 1921 – 17 October 2017) was a Swedish composer.
Early years: 1921–1940
Ingvar Lidholm was born in Jönköping. The actual family home was in Nässjö, some 40 kilometers to the southeast. Neither of his pa ...
: Music for Strings
;Staatskapelle Dresden recordings
* Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54, Clara Schumann: 3 Lieder, Op. 12 & ''Am Strande'', Johannes Brahms: Sonata for cello & piano, No. 1, Op. 38 & 2 Rhapsodies, Op. 79 ( Hélène Grimaud, piano)
;Finnish National Opera recordings
* Stravinsky – Perséphone. Esa-Pekka Salonen, Andrew Staples
Andrew Staples (born 19 August 1979) is an English operatic tenor.
Education and training
Staples started as a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral and was accepted at Eton College under a musical scholarship.
Career
With The Royal Opera, Staples ...
, Pauline Cheviller, Finnish National Opera. PENTATONE PTC 5186688 (2018)
* Kaija Saariaho: ''L'Amour de loin
' (''Love from Afar'') is an opera in five acts with music by Kaija Saariaho and a French-language libretto by Amin Maalouf. The opera received its world premiere performance on 15 August 2000 at the Salzburg Festival.
Saariaho, living in Paris ...
'' ( Peter Sellers, director, Dawn Upshaw, soprano, Monica Groop, mezzo-soprano, Gerald Finley, baritone)
;Other recordings of Salonen works
* Leila Josefowicz, violin, plays Salonen: ''Lachen verlernt''
*Gloria Cheng, piano, plays Salonen: ''Yta II'', ''Three Preludes'', & ''Dichotomie''
* Lin Jiang, horn and Benjamin Martin, piano, play Salonen: ''Hornmusic 1''
References
External links
*
*
Esa-Pekka Salonen
at Sony Classical
Esa-Pekka Salonen biography
at ChesterNovello
Esa-Pekka Salonen gives us his perspective on Turangalîla-Symphonie, including the first time he heard the piece, and how you conduct such a colossal work
NewMusicBox cover: Esa-Pekka Salonen in conversation with Frank J. Oteri, 2 June 2005
at Archive.org
(video excerpts from NewMusicBox)
at Archive.org
Sky Symphony
''Los Angeles Times'' Photo Gallery: "Career retrospective: Esa-Pekka Salonen"
Esa-Pekka Salonen on Virtual International Philharmonic
Interactive timeline of Esa-Pekka Salonen's career
by Bruce Duffie, 16 January 1988
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salonen, Esa-Pekka
1958 births
Living people
Musicians from Helsinki
20th-century classical composers
21st-century classical composers
20th-century conductors (music)
21st-century conductors (music)
Finnish classical composers
Finnish conductors (music)
Sibelius Academy alumni
Litteris et Artibus recipients
International Rostrum of Composers prize-winners
Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music
Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Finnish male classical composers
Finnish expatriates in the United Kingdom
Finnish expatriates in the United States
20th-century Finnish musicians
20th-century male musicians
21st-century male musicians
20th-century Finnish composers
21st-century Finnish composers