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Magnus Lindberg’s Piano Concerto No. 3 was recently premiered by Yuja Wang and the San Francisco Symphony, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. The concerto is a virtuoso affair, writes Jari Kallio.

“Studying under Kaija’s guidance proved to be an important experience to all of us who were learning from her – for some of us, you could say it was even life-changing.” In his essay, composer Juha T. Koskinen reflects on how having been taught by Kaija Saariaho has shaped his thinking as well as his compositional output and processes.

FMQ commissioned a poem about Kaija Saariaho's music from Marjo Heiskanen, a poet and pianist. To celebrate this special occasion, we publish the poem, "Kaiunta" (From the Echoes of Dreams) in two languages.

Several works by Kaija Saariaho are mentioned in this Special Feature. Our playlist provides a cross-section of the music discussed in the articles.

Composers Kaija Saariaho and Olli Virtaperko sat down to talk about the meaning of art and music. In this dialogue between composers from different generations, fascinating insights into the structures of and changes in writing music and the world of music at large emerged.

“With the opening sonority of each of her works, Kaija establishes a vibration that resonates deep inside the listener’s body along with a spectrum of overtones that grow out of that original sonority but that also foreshadow the complex contradictions that compel us to identify with and follow the web she weaves”, writes Susan McClary in her essay about Kaija Saariaho’s work.

"All pieces in this Special Feature share one theme: the significance of encounters," writes Lasse Lehtonen.

Over the decades, numerous musicians and ensembles around the world have performed the music of Kaija Saariaho. Without long-term relationships with trusted interpreters, the Finnish composer’s music would have travelled quite a different path.

The Society of Finnish Composers aims to beef up basic instruction in composition. The society wants to shake off outdated ideas about composing, expand the job description of the professional composer and focus on the music of the future.