# Kari Kriikku, clarinet

> Kari Kriikku, clarinet – 25 recordings on Ondine. "A physically flamboyant player of Olympian virtuosity..." (The New York Times)

Source: https://ondine.eyelabel.com/artists/kriikku-kari

- **Role:** clarinet
- **Photo:** © Marco Borggreve

> "A physically flamboyant player of Olympian virtuosity..." (The New York Times)

## Biography

Hailed by the New York Times as “A physically flamboyant player of Olympian virtuosity…”, Kari Kriikku has been a living inspiration behind a great number of remarkable Finnish compositions for the clarinet. On stage and through recordings, he has championed concertos and chamber works written for him by Kimmo Hakola, Jouni Kaipainen, Magnus Lindberg, Uljas Pulkkis, Kaija Saariaho, and Jukka Tiensuu. Above all, Kari Kriikku has premiered the entire output for clarinet by Magnus Lindberg. His recording of the Clarinet Concerto earned him both a Gramophone Award and a BBC Music Magazine Award in 2006. Furthermore he has championed the clarinet works of Jukka Tiensuu. Both concerto works Puro (“brook”, or “Bach” in German) and Missa he has performed more than fifty times.

Kari Kriikku has appeared internationally with the New York Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony, the Oslo Philharmonic, the Orchestre Philhamonique de Radio France, the Vienna Radio Symphony, Swedish Radio Orchestra, La Scala Orchestra of Milan, the German orchestras of WDR Koln and Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta, Lapland Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble Intercontemporain and Amsterdam Sinfonietta. Kari Kriikku has worked with such conductors as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Semyon Bychkov, Alan Gilbert, Vladimir Jurowski, Susanna Mälkki, Andris Nelsons, Sakari Oramo, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, John Storgårds, and Osmo Vänskä. Kari Kriikku He has performed chamber music with Quattour Diotima, the Arditti Quartet, the New Helsinki Quartet, the Avanti! Quartet, the Borodin Quartet, and the Jean Sibelius Quartet, as well as together collaborated with such musicians as Natalia Gutman, Aleksei Lyubimov, and Yuri Bashmet.

His musical inventiveness and fresh attitude towards traditional performance have established for Kari Kriikku a fascinating and versatile career as a soloist and in chamber music. Since the early 1980’s, his membership in the Toimii Ensemble and (as artistic director since 1998) in the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra naturally led him to contemporary music and also to performances that break the bounds of conventional concerts. Kari Kriikku has also performed repertoire of the Classical era and has recorded concertos by Mozart, Weber, Bernhard Henrik Crusell, and Johann Melchior Molter to great international acclaim. In 2009, Kari Kriikku became the was recipient of the prestigious Nordic Music Council Prize.

## Discography on Ondine (25)

- [Finland 100: A Century of Finnish Classics · 5 CD collection celebrating 100 years of Finland's independence · Orchestral Works I & II · Concertos · Vocal Works · Chamber Music](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-1300-2q.md): Various Finnish artist, orchestras and conductors (ODE 1300-2Q, 2016)
- [Brahms-Glanert · Detlev Glanert: Four Preludes and Serious Songs · Distant Land (Music with Brahms for Orchestra) · Brahms-Berio · Op. 120 No. 1 (Clarinet Sonata No. 1 for clarinet and orchestra by Luciano Berio)](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-1263-2.md): Michael Nagy, baritone · Kari Kriikku, clarinet · Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra · Olari Elts, conductor (ODE 1263-2, 2017)
- [Magnus Lindberg: Chamber Works](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-1199-2.md): Kari Kriikku · Anssi Karttunen · Magnus Lindberg (ODE 1199-2, 2012)
- [Kaija Saariaho: Clarinet Concerto "D'OM LE VRAI SENS" · Laterna Magica · Leino Songs](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-1173-2.md): Kari Kriikku, clarinet · Anu Komsi, soprano · Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra · Sakari Oramo, conductor (ODE 1173-2, 2011)
- [Uljas Pulkkis: Tales of Joy, Passion, and Love · On the Crest of Waves · Vernal Bloom](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-1176-2.md): Kari Kriikku, clarinet · Gabriel Suovanen, baritone · Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra · Hannu Lintu, conductor (ODE 1176-2, 2011)
- [Jukka Tiensuu: Vie · Missa, for clarinet and orchestra · False Memories I–III](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-1166-2.md): Kari Kriikku, clarinet · Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra · John Storgårds (ODE 1166-2, 2010)
- [Bizarre Bazaar](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-1140-2.md): Kari Kriikku, clarinet · Tapiola Sinfonietta · Jan Söderblom, conductor (ODE 1140-2, 2009)
- [A Due: Duo works for clarinet and cello](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-1102-2.md): Kari Kriikku, clarinet and bass clarinet · Anssi Karttunen, cello (ODE 1102-2, 2007)
- [Kimmo Hakola: Clarinet Concerto · Verdoyances crépuscules · Diamond Street](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-1063-2.md): Kari Kriikku, clarinet · Finnish RSO · Sakari Oramo, conductor (ODE 1063-2, 2005)
- [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart & · Johann Melchior Molter: Clarinet Concertos](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-1056-2.md): Kari Kriikku, clarinet · Tapiola Sinfonietta · John Storgårds, conductor (ODE 1056-2, 2005)
- [Magnus Lindberg: Clarinet Concerto · Gran Duo · Chorale](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-1038-2.md): Kari Kriikku, clarinet · Finnish RSO · Sakari Oramo, conductor (ODE 1038-2, 2005)
- [A Century of Finnish Chamber Music: Live from the Kuhmo Festival](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-984-2s.md): Various Artists (ODE 984-2S, 2002)
- [Kimmo Hakola: Clarinet Quintet · Loco · Capriole](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-960-2.md): Kari Kriikku, clarinet · Avanti! Quartet · Anssi Karttunen, cello (ODE 960-2, 2002)
- [Bernhard Henrik Crusell: Clarinet Concertos](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-965-2.md): Kari Kriikku, clarinet · Finnish RSO · Sakari Oramo, conductor (ODE 965-2, 2000)
- [Carl Maria von Weber: Clarinet Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 · Concertino · Clarinet Quintet](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-895-2.md): Kari Kriikku, clarinet · Finnish RSO · Sakari Oramo, conductor · New Helsinki Quartet (ODE 895-2, 1997)
- [Carl Maria von Weber · Felix Mendelssohn: Clarinet Quintet · Grand Duo · Concert Pieces Nos. 1 & 2](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-820-2.md): Kari Kriikku, clarinet · New Helsinki Quartet · Jukka Linkola, basset-horn · Arto Satukangas, piano (ODE 820-2, 1994)
- [Claude Debussy · Jukka Tiensuu · Jouni Kaipainen: Works for Clarinet and Orchestra](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-778-2.md): Kari Kriikku, clarinet · Finnish RSO · Avanti! Chamber Orchestra · Jukka-Pekka Saraste, conductor (ODE 778-2, 1992)
- [Alexander von Zemlinsky · Max Bruch: Clarinet Trio, Op. 3 · Eight Pieces, Op. 83](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-760-2.md): Kari Kriikku, clarinet · Matti Hirvikangas, viola · Matti Rousi, cello · Arto Satukangas, piano (ODE 760-2, 1991)
- [Bernhard Henrik Crusell: Complete Clarinet Quartets](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-727-2.md): Kari Kriikku, clarinet · Members of Avanti! Quartet (ODE 727-2, 1989)
- [Talven taikaa: Music for Winter Moments](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-1160-2.md): Various Artists (ODE 1160-2, 2009)
- [Finland. A Celebration of Music and Nature](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-1053-2q.md): Various Finnish Artists (ODE 1053-2Q, 2008)
- [Idylli - musiikkia rauhaisiin hetkiin: Music for a daydream](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-1120-2.md): Tapiola Sinfonietta · Various Soloists & Conductors (ODE 1120-2, 2008)
- [Land of the Midnight Sun: Music and Images from Finland](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-1093-2.md): Photo album + CD (ODE 1093-2, 2006)
- [Mozart Jubileum](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-1078-2.md): Pekka Kuusisto (ODE 1078-2, 2006)
- [Essential highlights of... (ODE 255-2D)](https://ondine.eyelabel.com/catalogue/ode-255-2d.md): Kari Kriikku, clarinet (ODE 255-2D, 2010)

## Links

- [Official Website](http://www.karikriikku.com)
- [Avanti! Chamber Orchestra](http://www.avantimusic.fi/)
- [Konzertdirektion Schmid](http://www.kdschmid.de/en/Kuenstler/Kriikku.php)