Kaija Saariaho was Lotta Wennäkoski’s teacher at the Sibelius Academy for a year.
Composer Kaija Saariaho death is a great loss to the music world.
“Horrible news, of course,” says the composer Lotta Wennäkoski. He is one of the most sought-after names in Finnish art music internationally Flounce –the work premiered at the BBC’s Proms 2017 festival.
Saariaho was Wennäkoski’s teacher at the Sibelius Academy for a year. Wennäkoski remembers him as warm and empathetic.
“When teaching, Kaija paid attention to the same things as in his own compositions, i.e. timbre, layering and form,” says Wennäkoski.
The young composer was able to talk with an older colleague not only about music, but also about other topics.
“I was interested in how femininity and composing are combined. That theme was also present in Kaija, though in private.”
“He was a huge example of how a composer can create his own world. He created music that he immediately recognized as Saariaho”, describes Wennäkoski.
To himself As significant musical experiences, Wennäkoski mentions Saariaho’s cello concert, among others Notes on Light and a choral song Nuit adieu.
“I am deeply moved by Kaija’s ethos, with the piety and thoroughness with which she always approached composing. For example, she said that she had Castle of the soul as a kind of practice work to learn how to use the orchestra, choir and soloist more deeply,” says Wennäkoski.
He believes that Saariaho will leave a big mark on Finnish cultural life.
“Kaija doesn’t have to be afraid of being forgotten. There is so much to quote and refer back to,” he says.
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