Kaija Saariaho: Composing intricate soundworlds

Since the 1980s, composer Kaija Saariaho has been lauded for her explorations of sound and music, from tape and live electronics mixed with layered orchestral textures, to opera, song cycles and smaller scale pieces. In the BBC Music Magazine’s top 20 composers of all time, Kaija Saariaho is the only one alive today; as she moves into her eighth decade, there’s no sign that she wants to stop creating the magical sounds she has become known for.

Kaija was born in Helsinki in Finland, but since 1982 has spent most of her time living and working in Paris. Keval Shah meets Kaija in Helsinki just as her most recent opera Innocence is having its Finnish premiere - part of her 70th birthday celebrations. But there’s not much time for Kaija to rest after the conclusion of this huge, 10-year project. A text message prompts her to start thinking about a new work and a new challenge: a trumpet concerto.

We visit jazz trumpeter Verneri Pohjola on a grey Helsinki day (with plenty of candles) to find out how Kaija’s composition process develops through collaboration with the musicians who will be playing or singing her music. And we hear some unexpected trumpet techniques that may find their way into the new concerto - from flap tonguing to what Verneri calls ‘white noise.’

Image: Kaija Saariaho (Credit: Maarit Kytöharju)