Towards the Light: Kaija Saariaho Memorial Concert

Widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of our time, Kaija Saariaho has left an enduring mark on the world of music. This concert, given by two ensembles and a conductor who knew Saariaho and who are passionate about the universe she created, aims to honour the Finnish composer's limitless imagination.

Saairaho's final choral work, Reconnaissance, described as 'a defining choral masterwork of our era' (Classical Music Daily), contains an urgent message concerning mankind's domination of planet earth. Dubbed a 'science-fiction madrigal', the five-movement work features quotations from the 1972 film Solaris and ends with a Requiem, which will have grave and intimate undertones in the context of this performance. 

Alongside Reconnaissance will be Saairaho's other choral milestones Nuits, Adieux and Tag des Jahrs and scintillating musc from her contemporaries, Jonathan Harvey - with whom she shared a colour pallette - and her former student Lotta Wennäkoski, whose Valossa will recieve its UK premiere in this concert. 

Programme

Kaija Saariaho - Tag des Jahrs

Lotta Wennäkoski - Valossa

Kaija Saariaho - Reconnaissance

Jonathan Harvey - Plainsongs for Peace and Light

Kaija Saariaho - Nuits, Adieux

Peformers

The Carice Singers

Riot Ensemble:

Aaron Holloway-Nahun, electonics

Marianne Schofield, double bass

Sam Wilson, percussion

George Parris, Conductor

Supported by The Finnish Institute in London, the Hinrichsen Foundation, and the Lucille Graham Turst.