Joonas Kokkonen

Joonas Kokkonen was one of the dominant figures of the post-war history of Finnish musical life. Of all modern Finnish composers, he may be said to most resemble Sibelius in the deepest sense: in the way his musical forms grow and demonstrate their organic unity over the course of an entire movement or work. He was also instrumental in establishing a foundation for a true Finnish national opera, and his single contribution to the genre, The Last Temptations, remains one of the outstanding 20th century works for the lyric stage. Kokkonen is also known for his famous Cello Concerto and his Requiem. He composed four symphonies in all.