Kaija Saariaho
Du cristal
...à la fumée · Nymphéa · Sept Papillons
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor
Kronos Quartet
Petri Alanko, alto flute
Anssi Karttunen, cello
Track listing
10 tracks · 68:19Listen to samples on selected tracks.
Kaija Saariaho
- 1 Du cristal for symphony orchestra (1989-1990) 16:40
- 2 ...à la fumée, for alto flute, cello and symphony orchestra (1990) 21:13
- 3 Nymphéa, for string quartet and electronics (1987) 18:41
- Sept papillons, for solo cello (2000) 11:48
- 4 Papillon I: Dolce, leggiero, libero 1:46
- 5 Papillon II: Leggiere, molto espressivo 1:30
- 6 Papillon III: Calmo, con tristezza 1:32
- 7 Papillon IV: Dolce, tranquillo 2:13
- 8 Papillon V: Lento, misterioso 1:32
- 9 Papillon VI: Sempre poco nervoso, senza tempo 2:02
- 10 Papillon VII: Molto espressivo, energico 1:10
About this recording
This CD features four works by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho: Sept papillons is combined with three previously released recordings (ODE 804-2, 1992) of Du cristal, ...à la fumée and Nymphéa.
Features
Booklet with liner notes in English, French, German and Finnish
Press
The Finnish cellist Anssi Karttunen performs these volatile and fugitive pieces (Sept papillons) with grace and clarity. (...) The Los Angeles Philharmonic manages in an enchanting way to make audible what constitutes the basic components of Saariaho's elegant construction of colour and sound: finding the balance through extremes in articulation, phrasing and sound, as well as artfully delicate transition. (...) This CD proves that contemporary music is not necessarily austere or ethereal, but can present itself in a very approachable and sensual way. (...) The entire production is a splendid and entirely successful example of contemporary sound magic.
Tobias Pfleger, Klassik.com, October 8, 2004, Recommended*****
The artists
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Each year since its founding in 1919, the Los Angeles Philharmonic has been hailed as Southern California's leading performing arts institution. Under the dynamic leadership of Esa-Pekka Salonen who became the orchestra's tenth music director in 1992, the Philharmonic was widely recognized as one of the world's outstanding orchestras. Both at home and abroad it has, as the Berliner Zeitung stated, "...proved that it belongs among the best in the United States." Esa-Pekka Salonen's highly successul tenure with the orchestra ended in 2009.
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Esa-Pekka Salonen studied at the Sibelius Academy and made his conducting début with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1979. From 1985-1995 he was Music Director of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and also in 1985 took up the post of Principal Guest Conductor of The Philharmonia which he held until 1994. Salonen returned to The Philharmonia as the orchestra's chief conductor from 2008 to 2021. He was Director of the Helsinki Festival in 1995 and 1996. From 1992 to 2009, he was the Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In December 2018, the San Francisco Symphony announced the appointment of Salonen as its next music director, effective in 2020.
Kronos Quartet
For more than 30 years, San Francisco's Kronos Quartet - David Harrington, John Sherba (violins), Hank Dutt (viola) and Jeffrey Zeigler (cello) - has pursued a singular artistic vision, combining a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to expanding the range and context of the string quartet. In the process, Kronos has become one of the most celebrated and influential ensembles of our time, performing thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 45 recordings of extraordinary breadth and creativity, collaborating with many of the world's most eclectic composers and performers, and commissioning more than 700 new works and arrangements for string quartet. Kronos' work has also garnered numerous awards, including a GRAMMY for Best Chamber Music Performance (2004) and "Musicians of the Year" (2003) from Musical America.