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Esa-Pekka Salonen

Esa-Pekka Salonen KBE (pronounced [ˈesɑˌpekːɑ ˈsɑlonen] ; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish conductor and composer. He is the music director of the San Francisco Symphony and conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra in London and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.[1]

Esa-Pekka Salonen

(1958-06-30) 30 June 1958

Helsinki, Finland
  • Conductor
  • composer

1979–present

Jane Price
(m. 1991; div. 2017)

3

Life and career[edit]

Early work[edit]

Born in Helsinki, Finland, Salonen graduated from Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu (SYK), one of the top high schools in Finland, in 1977[2] and then went to study horn and composition at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, as well as conducting with Jorma Panula. His conducting classmates included Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Osmo Vänskä. Another classmate on the composition side was the composer Magnus Lindberg and together they formed the new-music appreciation group Korvat auki ("Ears open" in the Finnish language) and the experimental ensemble Toimii (lit. "It works"). Later, Salonen studied with the composers Franco Donatoni, Niccolò Castiglioni, and Einojuhani Rautavaara.


His first experience with conducting came in 1979 with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, though he still thought of himself principally as a composer; in fact, Salonen has said that he took up conducting primarily to ensure that someone would conduct his own compositions. In 1983, however, he replaced an indisposed Michael Tilson Thomas to conduct a performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 3 with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London on very short notice, without ever having studied the score, and it launched his career as a conductor.[3] He was subsequently principal guest conductor of the Philharmonia from 1985 to 1994.


Salonen was principal conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1984 to 1995. He co-founded the Baltic Sea Festival in 2003 with Michael Tydén and Valery Gergiev. This summer music festival presents new classical music and aims to bring the countries around the Baltic Sea together and to raise awareness of environmental deterioration of the Baltic. It continues to be held annually in one of the region's countries.[4]

Los Angeles Philharmonic[edit]

Salonen made his conducting debut in the United States with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1984. He said:

Honours and awards[edit]

In April 2010 Salonen was elected a Foreign Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[50] In May 2010 he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Southern California, and later the same day spoke at the graduation ceremony for the USC Thornton School of Music.[51] Salonen carried the Olympic flame on 26 July 2012, as part of the 2012 Summer Olympics torch relay.[52] In December 2020 he was appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE), for services to music and UK-Finland relations.[53] He was the conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra at the 2023 Nobel Prize Concert.[54]

1981 – Completed first large scale work, ...auf den ersten Blick und ohne zu wissen...

1983 – Co-founded in Finland with Jukka-Pekka Saraste

Avanti! Chamber Orchestra

1985 – Appointed chief conductor of

Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra

1992 – Wins the UNESCO

International Rostrum of Composers

1992 – Became of Los Angeles Philharmonic

Music Director

1993 – Becomes the first conductor to receive the prestigious Siena Prize of the

Accademia Chigiana

1995 – Artistic Director of

Helsinki Festival

1997 – Conducts opera, Le Grand Macabre, at the Salzburg Festival with the Philharmonia Orchestra

Ligeti's

1997 – World premiere of in Los Angeles

LA Variations

1999 – Music Director of the .

Ojai Music Festival

2000 – Conducting sabbatical to concentrate on composing

2001 – Music Director of the .

Ojai Music Festival

2003 – Opening concerts at with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, subsequently televised in the United States on PBS Great Performances

Walt Disney Concert Hall

2005 – Festivals of his own compositions, performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Los Angeles and

Cologne

2006 – Named "Musician of the Year" by Musical America

2007 – "The Tristan Project," performed in Los Angeles and New York

2007 – World premiere of his with Yefim Bronfman (piano) and the New York Philharmonic

Piano Concerto

2008 – Began tenure as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra

2009 – World premiere of his with Leila Josefowicz (violin) and the Los Angeles Philharmonic

violin concerto

2011 – Salonen wins the 2012 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition for his Violin Concerto[55][56]

University of Louisville

2014 – Salonen wins the [24]

Nemmers Prize in Music Composition

2014 – Salonen named Creative Chair at the [25]

Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich

2015 – Salonen named Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic

[26]

2017 – World premiere of his with Yo-Yo Ma (cello) and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

cello concerto

2018 – The appoints Salonen to lead the Negaunee Conducting Program[57]

Colburn School

2022 – appoints Salonen as Composer-in-Residence for the 2022/23 season[58]

Berlin Philharmonic

Giro (1982, rev. 1997), premiered by ; Finland, 27 November 1981

Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra

(1996), premiered by Los Angeles Philharmonic; Los Angeles, 16 January 1997

L.A. Variations

(2001), premiered by Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste; Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Kiel, 12 August 2001

Foreign Bodies

(2002), premiered by NHK Symphony Orchestra; Tokyo, 1 December 2002

Insomnia

(2004), premiered by Stockholm Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Stockholm, Composer Festival, 27 October 2004

Stockholm Diary

(2005), premiered by World Orchestra for Peace, Valery Gergiev; London, 29 August 2005

Helix

(2010), premiered by Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France; Paris, 19 February 2011

Nyx

(2018/2019), premiered by Los Angeles Philharmonic; Los Angeles, 26 October 2019 (consists of two originally independent pieces Pollux and Castor)

Gemini

, Los Angeles Philharmonic (19 February 1999)

Naïve and Sentimental Music

, Tracy Silverman (electric violin), Los Angeles Philharmonic (24 October 2003)

The Dharma at Big Sur

In addition to conducting his own compositions, Salonen has actively championed other composers' music, most notably Anders Hillborg, Magnus Lindberg, Kaija Saariaho, and Steven Stucky. Many noteworthy compositions have even been dedicated to Salonen. Below is a list of some of the world premieres that he has conducted:

Esa-Pekka Salonen: Concerto for Alto Saxophone; Floof; Meeting; Nachtleider; Mimo II; Yta I; Yta II; Yta IIb; Yta III – Pekka Savijoki; Anu Komsi; Kari Krikku; Jukka Tiensuu; Jorma Valjakka; Mikael Helasvuo; Tuija Hakkila; Anssi Karttunen; Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Avanti! Chamber Orchestra; Esa-Pekka Salonen – Finlandia 0927 43815 2

: Piano Concertos 1, 2, and 3 (Yefim Bronfman, piano) (Grammy Award); Sony Classical SBK89732

Bartók

Esa-Pekka Salonen: Five Images After Sappho; Gambit; Giro; LA Variations; Mania – ; Anssi Karttunen; Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra; London Sinfonietta; Esa-Pekka Salonen – Sony SK89158

Dawn Upshaw

Esa-Pekka Salonen: Foreign Bodies; Insomnia; Wing on Wing – Anu Komsi; Piia Komsi; ; Esa-Pekka Salonen – Deutsche Grammophon 477 5375

Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra

: Red Violin – Joshua Bell, solo violin; Philarmonia Orchestra; Sony Classical SK63010

John Corigliano

: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto – Hilary Hahn, solo violin; Swedish Radio Symphony OrchestraDeutsche Grammophon B0011WMWUW – Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra)[71]

Arnold Schoenberg

: Correspondances; Tout un monde lointain; The shadows of timeBarbara Hannigan; Anssi Karttunen; Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France – Deutsche Grammophon 0289 479 1180 7

Henri Dutilleux

Esa-Pekka Salonen: Out of Nowhere; Nyx and Violin Concerto; ; Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Esa-Pekka Salonen; Deutsche Grammophon B008W5TDP8

Leila Josefowicz

Official website

at AllMusic

Esa-Pekka Salonen

at Sony Classical

Esa-Pekka Salonen

at ChesterNovello

Esa-Pekka Salonen biography

Archived 2 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine

Esa-Pekka Salonen gives us his perspective on Turangalîla-Symphonie, including the first time he heard the piece, and how you conduct such a colossal work

at Archive.org

NewMusicBox cover: Esa-Pekka Salonen in conversation with Frank J. Oteri, 2 June 2005

at Archive.org

(video excerpts from NewMusicBox)

Sky Symphony

Los Angeles Times Photo Gallery: "Career retrospective: Esa-Pekka Salonen"

Esa-Pekka Salonen on Virtual International Philharmonic

Interactive timeline of Esa-Pekka Salonen's career

by Bruce Duffie, 16 January 1988

Interview with Esa-Pekka Salonen