After her studies in Paris, the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho chose the path of spectralists such as Gérard Grisey and Tristan Murail; and in 2000 she became world famous with her opera L’amour de loin . Saariaho charted her own course wih music moving on the verge between silence and fragility, with sounds like glass splinters and harmonies sounding as if scraped from ice. Her utterly personal and intuitive music language , in which tone colours and textures are centrally important, took definite shape in large-scale orchestral works and operas.

Her most poetic creations, however, are perhaps her compositions for chamber ensemble. From Saariaho’s rich repertoire, Het Collectief will be making a magnificent anthology for soprano, flute, cello, piano and electronics. An excellent opportunity to discover the work of this ‘grande dame’ of contemporary music.

Het Collectief

Liesbeth Devos, soprano
Toon Fret, flute
Martijn Vink, cello
Thomas Dieltjens, piano
Yannick Willox, live electronics

13 May 2024 we play this program again at Konzerthaus Wien.