Kaija Saariaho
Finnish composer
Kaija Anneli Saariaho (Finnish: [ˈkɑi̯jɑ ˈsɑːriɑho]; née Laakkonen; 14 October 1952 – 2 June 2023) was a Finnish composer based in Paris, France. During the course of her career, Saariaho received commissions from the Lincoln Center for the Kronos Quartet and from IRCAM for the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the BBC, the New York Philharmonic, the Salzburg Music Festival, the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and the Finnish National Opera, among others. In a 2019 composers' poll by BBC Music Magazine, Saariaho was ranked the greatest living composer.
Read more about this composer on Wikipedia.
Works
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- Lichtbogen 1986
- Silicon Head 1987
- Du Cristal... 1989
- Stilleben – Milena's Journey 1989
- Maa 1991
- Lonh 1996
- L'Amour de loin 1999
- Oltra Mar 1999
- Orion 2003
- Innocence 2018
- Vista 2019
- Mirages 2021
- ...à la Fumée
- Adriana Mater
- Aile du Songe
- Amers
- Arabesques et adages
- Bon vent
- Calices
- Canvas
- Changing Light
- Chimera
- Château de l'âme
- Ciel d'hiver
- Cinq reflets
- Circle Map
- Cloud Trio
- Concordia
- D'Om le Vrai Sens
- Echo!
- Figura
- Frises
- From the Grammar of Dreams
- Graal théâtre
- Hush
- Io
- Je sens un deuxième cœur
- Kesäpäivä
- La Passion de Simone
- Laterna Magica
- Leino Songs
- Light and Matter
- Light still and moving
- Luonnon kasvot
- Maan varjot
- Neiges
- Nej och inte
- NoaNoa
- Notes on Light
- Nymphéa Reflection
- Only the Sound Remains
- Petals
- Preludi-Tunnustus-Postludi
- Près
- Quatre instants
- Reconnaissance
- Semafor
- Sense
- Sept Papillons
- Serenatas
- Six Japanese Gardens
- Sombre
- Study for Life
- Tag des Jahrs
- Terra Memoria
- Trans
- Trois Rivières: Delta
- True Fire
- Vent nocturne
- Émilie
- Émilie Suite
Box sets & recent recordings
- Saariaho: Adriana Mater — Kaija Saariaho, Fleur Barron, Axelle Fanyo, Nicholas Phan, Christopher Purves, San Francisco Symphony Chorus, San Francisco Symphony, Esa-Pekka Salonen (2024) box set · 37 tracks Spotify
- Saariaho: Works for Orchestra — Kaija Saariaho, Various Artists (2012) box set · 36 tracks Spotify
- Saariaho: L'Amour de loin — Kaija Saariaho, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Kent Nagano, Rundfunkchor Berlin (2009) box set · 30 tracks Spotify
- Kaija Saariaho: Saarikoski Songs, Vista & Three Preludes — Kaija Saariaho, Anu Komsi, Marzi Nyman, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo (2026) Spotify
- Saariaho: Nocturne — Kaija Saariaho, Christine Wu (2026) Spotify
- Kaija Saariaho: Cello Works — Kaija Saariaho, Joanna Gutowska (2022) Spotify
Box sets & recent releases via Spotify — surfaced automatically, not editorial picks.