Aulis Sallinen
Encyclopedia
Aulis Sallinen is a Finnish contemporary classical music composer
. He writes in a modern, though tonal and not experimental music
style. He studied at the Sibelius Academy
, where his teachers included Joonas Kokkonen
. He has had works commissioned by the Kronos Quartet
, and has also written 6 opera
s, 8 symphonies, concertos for violin, cello, flute and horn and any number of chamber works. He won the Nordic Council Music Prize
in 1978 for his opera Ratsumies (The Horseman
).
, in an area which was conquered by the USSR when he was nine. His first instruments were violin
and piano
. He would play both jazz
and classical music. He was known to be extremely creative, and spent much time during his teenage years improvising. After a while, he began writing his ideas down on paper, and began to do serious composition. He attended the Sibelius Academy
of Music, and studied with a number of prestigious teachers.
. He became chairman of the board of Finnish Composers ten years after. Though he was a known teacher and was on many boards of directors, his compositions were not particularly noted until he was made "Professor of Arts for Life" by the Finnish government, giving him money so he could focus more on composition.
and containing two mediaeval Finnish
tunes from the Piae Cantiones
. He has written six operas, and is well-known as the composer of the title track of the Kronos Quartet
's album Winter Was Hard
.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. He writes in a modern, though tonal and not experimental music
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
style. He studied at the Sibelius Academy
Sibelius Academy
The Sibelius Academy is a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki. The Academy is the only music university in Finland. It is among the biggest European music universities...
, where his teachers included Joonas Kokkonen
Joonas Kokkonen
Joonas Kokkonen was a Finnish composer. He was one of the most internationally famous Finnish composers of the 20th century after Sibelius; his opera The Last Temptations has received over 500 performances worldwide, and is considered by many to be Finland's most distinguished national opera.-...
. He has had works commissioned by the Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
, and has also written 6 opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s, 8 symphonies, concertos for violin, cello, flute and horn and any number of chamber works. He won the Nordic Council Music Prize
Nordic Council Music Prize
The Nordic Council Music Prize is awarded annually by NOMUS, the Nordic Music Committee. Every two years it is awarded for a work by a living composer...
in 1978 for his opera Ratsumies (The Horseman
The Horseman
The Horseman is an opera by Aulis Sallinen, based on a libretto by Paavo Haavikko. It was premiered by the Savonlinna Opera Festival on June 17, 1975....
).
Childhood and studies
Sallinen was born in SalmiSalmi
Salmi is a rural settlement and town near Pitkäranta in Republic of Karelia ....
, in an area which was conquered by the USSR when he was nine. His first instruments were violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. He would play both jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and classical music. He was known to be extremely creative, and spent much time during his teenage years improvising. After a while, he began writing his ideas down on paper, and began to do serious composition. He attended the Sibelius Academy
Sibelius Academy
The Sibelius Academy is a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki. The Academy is the only music university in Finland. It is among the biggest European music universities...
of Music, and studied with a number of prestigious teachers.
Early adult life
After graduating, Sallinen took a position as composition teacher at the Sibelius Academy, and continued composing. In his mid 20's, he was put on the board of directors of the Finnish Radio Symphony OrchestraFinnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra is a Finnish orchestra based in Helsinki, and is the chief radio orchestra of the Finnish Broadcasting Company . The orchestra primarily gives concerts at the Helsinki Music Centre...
. He became chairman of the board of Finnish Composers ten years after. Though he was a known teacher and was on many boards of directors, his compositions were not particularly noted until he was made "Professor of Arts for Life" by the Finnish government, giving him money so he could focus more on composition.
Later life
After receiving that award, Sallinen devoted great amounts of time to his composing. He has revived standard forms and harmonies, but puts them together in very contemporary ways. He has received a number of commissions from some very renowned groups and has composed eight symphonies, including one using material from a proposed ballet on The Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
and containing two mediaeval Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
tunes from the Piae Cantiones
Piae Cantiones
Piae Cantiones ecclesiasticae et scholasticae veterum episcoporum is a collection of late medieval Latin songs first published in 1582. It was compiled by Jacobus Finno or Jaakko Suomalainen , a clergyman who was headmaster of the cathedral school at Turku...
. He has written six operas, and is well-known as the composer of the title track of the Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
's album Winter Was Hard
Winter Was Hard
Winter Was Hard is a studio album by the Kronos Quartet. It contains compositions by Aulis Sallinen, Terry Riley, Arvo Pärt, Anton Webern, John Zorn, John Lurie, Ástor Piazzolla, Alfred Schnittke, and Samuel Barber.-Track listing:-Critical reception:...
.
Career highlights
- 1960 - awarded diploma from the Sibelius AcademySibelius AcademyThe Sibelius Academy is a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki. The Academy is the only music university in Finland. It is among the biggest European music universities...
. - 1960-70 - administrator of the Finnish Radio Symphony OrchestraFinnish Radio Symphony OrchestraThe Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra is a Finnish orchestra based in Helsinki, and is the chief radio orchestra of the Finnish Broadcasting Company . The orchestra primarily gives concerts at the Helsinki Music Centre...
. - 1978 - Nordic CouncilNordic CouncilThe Nordic Council is a geo-political, inter-parliamentary forum for co-operation between the Nordic countries. It was established following World War II and its first concrete result was the introduction in 1952 of a common labour market and free movement across borders without passports for the...
Music Prize for The HorsemanThe HorsemanThe Horseman is an opera by Aulis Sallinen, based on a libretto by Paavo Haavikko. It was premiered by the Savonlinna Opera Festival on June 17, 1975....
. - 1981 - becomes the first person to be made a Professor of Arts for life by the Finnish Government, enabling him to concentrate on composing full-time.
- 1983 - Wihuri International Sibelius Prize.
- 2004 - first in series of recordings of complete orchestral music released on the CPO label.
Symphonies
- Symphony No. 1, Op. 24 (1971)
- Symphony No. 2 Symphonic Dialogue, Op. 29 (1972)
- Symphony No. 3, Op. 35 (1975)
- Symphony No. 4, Op. 49 (1979)
- Symphony No. 5 Washington Mosaics, Op. 57 (1985–1987)
- Symphony No. 6 From a New Zealand Diary, Op. 65 (1990)
- Symphony No. 7 The Dreams of Gandalf, Op. 71 (1996)
- Symphony No. 8 Autumnal Fragments, Op. 81 (2001)
Orchestral
- Mauermusik, Op. 7 (1963)
- Variations for Orchestra, Op. 8 (1963)
- Chorali for wind orchestra, Op. 22 (1970)
- Chamber Music I, Op. 38 (1975)
- Chamber Music II, for alto flute and string orchestra Op. 41 (1976)
- Dies Irae, for soprano, bass, male choir and orchestra, Op. 47 (1978)
- Shadows, Op. 52 (1982)
- Chamber Music III The Nocturnal Dances of Don Juan Quixote, Op. 58 (1983; cello, strings)
- Sunrise Serenade, Op. 63 (1989)
- Songs of Life and Death, Op. 69 (1995; baritone, choir, orchestra)
- Palace Rhapsody, Op. 72 (1996)
- Introduction and Tango Overture for piano & strings, Op. 74b (1997)
- A Solemn Overture (King Lear), Op. 75 (1997)
- Chamber Music IV Metamorphosis, for piano and strings, Op. 79 (2000)
- Chamber Music V Barabbas Variations, for accordion and strings Op. 80 (2000)
- Chamber Music VI Trois invitations au voyagefor String Quartet & Strings, Op. 88 (2006)
- Chamber Music VII Cruselliana for Wind Quintet & Strings, Op. 93 (2007)
- Chamber Music VIII The Trees, All Their Green for Cello & Strings, Op. 94 (2008)
Concertos
- Violin Concerto, Op. 18 (1968)
- Cello Concerto, Op. 44 (1977)
- Flute Concerto Harlekiini, Op. 70 (1995)
- Horn Concerto Campane ed Arie, Op. 82 (2002)
- Chamber Concerto, for violin, piano and chamber orchestra, Op. 87 (2005)
- Concerto for clarinet, viola and orchestra, Op. 91 (2007) (also for clarinet, cello and orchestra, Op. 91a)
Chamber music
- String Quartet No. 1, Op. 14 (1958)
- String Quartet No. 2 Canzona, Op. 4 (1960)
- Quattro per quattro, Op. 12 (1965)
- String Quartet No. 3 Some Aspects of Peltoniemi Hintrik's Funeral March, Op. 19 (1969)
- Four Etudes for violin & piano, Op.21 (1970)
- String Quartet No. 4 Quiet Songs, Op. 25 (1971)
- Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 26 (1971)
- Metamorphora, for cello & piano, Op. 34 (1974)
- String Quartet No. 5 Pieces of Mosaic, Op. 54 (1983)
- From a Swan Song, for cello & piano, Op. 67 (1991)
- Barabbus Dialogues,for vocalists, narrator & chamber ensemble, Op. 84 (2003)
- Piano Quintet ...des morceaux oublies, Op. 85 (2004)
- Cello Sonata, Op. 86 (2004)
- Windy Winter in Provence for Tenor, Piano, Violin & Guitar, Op. 89 (2006)
- Mistral Music for Solo Flute, Op. 90 (2005)(also for flute & string quartet, Op. 90a)
- Piano Quintet No. 2 Three Kullervo Elegies, Op. 92 (2006)
- Preludes and Fugues for Solo Accordion, Op. 95 (2009)
- Piano Trio Les Visions Fugitives, Op. 96 (2010)
Operas
- The HorsemanThe HorsemanThe Horseman is an opera by Aulis Sallinen, based on a libretto by Paavo Haavikko. It was premiered by the Savonlinna Opera Festival on June 17, 1975....
, Op. 32 (1974, Ratsumies (Finnish), Ryttaren (Swedish)) - The Red LineThe Red LineThe Red Line is an opera in two acts with music by Aulis Sallinen to a libretto by the composer, which premiered on 30 November 1978 at the Finnish National Opera....
, Op. 46 (1978) - The King Goes Forth to FranceThe King Goes Forth to FranceKuningas lähtee Ranskaan is an opera in three acts by Aulis Sallinen, based on the novel of the same title by Paavo Haavikko, who also wrote the libretto. The English singing version is by Stephen Oliver.-Background:...
, Op.53 (1983, Kuningas lähtee Ranskaan (Finnish)) - Kullervo, Op. 61 (1988)
- The Palace, Op.68 (1991–1993, Palatsi (Finnish))
- King LearKuningas LearKuningas Lear is an opera in three acts by Aulis Sallinen, with a libretto by the composer, based on the play by William Shakespeare and premiered in 2000; it was Sallinen’s sixth opera.- Background :...
, Op. 76 (1999)
Recordings
- Symphony Nos 1 & 7 - CPO 999 918-2
- Kullervo - Ondine ODE 844-2
- Shadows; Symphonies 4 & 5; Chamber Music III - Ultima 8573819722