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Kaija Saariaho: Works For Cello

Joanna Gutowska

Awards:

In Petals (1988) and Près (1992), the electronics unmoor the cello in a multitude of ways while enhancing its visceral physicality – and it ’s the localised tension between these poles that...

Kaija Saariaho: Works For Cello

Joanna Gutowska

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Awards:

In Petals (1988) and Près (1992), the electronics unmoor the cello in a multitude of ways while enhancing its visceral physicality – and it ’s the localised tension between these poles that...

About

On this album, we present a number of works by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (b. 1952), living and creating in Paris. She is one of the most appreciated contemporary artists, exploring sound spaces in search of a new musical language.

Instead of traditional harmonic or melodic solutions, the composer focuses primarily on the sound itself and its qualities colour, strength, dynamics. She operates with wide and static sound planes, soft, sharp and rough sounds, whose function is to provide the piece with a structure. The cello becomes a vehicle that takes listeners to intimate spaces, closely related to nature, to which the titles of individual compositions refer. This instrument (sometimes also supported by electronics) contains a real cosmos of meditative sounds.

The only performer of all the compositions presented on the album is Joanna Gutowska, a Polish cellist residing in London. The artist has been performing since the age of 12, co-operating with the best orchestras in the world and performing at prestigious festivals. Her interests include various genres and musical styles; she is also keen on exploring contemporary music. She devoted her doctoral thesis to the work of Kaija Saariaho.

Contents and tracklist

I. —
Track length7:39
II. —
Track length3:09
III. —
Track length8:30
Papillon No. 1
Track length1:42
Papillon No. 2
Track length1:31
Papillon No. 3
Track length1:39
Papillon No. 4
Track length2:09
Papillon No. 5
Track length1:28
Papillon No. 6
Track length1:55
Papillon No. 7
Track length1:12
I. Nuages de neige
Track length3:03
II. Etoile de neige No. 1
Track length1:20
III. Etoile de neige No. 2
Track length2:43
IV. Aiguilles de glace
Track length4:11
V. Fleurs de neige
Track length3:18

Awards and reviews

  • International Classical Music Awards
    2023
    Nominated - Contemporary Music

November 2022

In Petals (1988) and Près (1992), the electronics unmoor the cello in a multitude of ways while enhancing its visceral physicality – and it ’s the localised tension between these poles that Gutowska most effectively captures throughout...But it’s the acoustic, concert-tuned Sept Papillons (2000) that prove most potent in all their f luttering, abrasive nuance; miniature in form yet vast in expressive power.
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