Awarded the 10th Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Music and Opera, composer Kaija Saariaho reflects in this interview on her innovative musical language, characterized by timbral exploration, the delicate use of electronics, and the creation of profoundly expressive soundscapes. Saariaho explains how her approach to contemporary music arises from the dialogue between tradition and experimentation, and how her vocal, instrumental, and operatic works have influenced new generations of composers. Throughout the conversation, she shares her vision of the creative process, the relationship between sound and emotion, and the importance of pushing the boundaries of contemporary music. Her testimony offers an intimate and insightful look at one of the most influential voices in contemporary composition.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Contemporary Music category go
Awarded the 10th Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Music and Opera, composer Kaija Saariaho reflects in this interview on her innovative musical language, characterized by timbral exploration, the delicate use of electronics, and the creation of profoundly expressive soundscapes. Saariaho explains how her approach to contemporary music arises from the dialogue between tradition and experimentation, and how her vocal, instrumental, and operatic works have influenced new generations of composers. Throughout the conversation, she shares her vision of the creative process, the relationship between sound and emotion, and the importance of pushing the boundaries of contemporary music. Her testimony offers an intimate and insightful look at one of the most influential voices in contemporary composition.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Contemporary Music category goes, in this tenth edition, to Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho on the basis of “a contribution to contemporary music that is extraordinary in its individuality, breadth and scope.” From her earliest works, the jury continues, Saariaho has exhibited “a seamless interweaving of the worlds of acoustic music and technology,” a quality which the new laureate remarked, after hearing of the award, had come to her quite naturally. When she started studying music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, she was frustrated at the acoustics of the venues she would attend to hear live performances. Wondering if it was possible to alter characteristics like the volume of the instruments, she began recording them and processing the sound for subsequent playback.
00:00 Introduction
00:05 Could you tell us how your love of music began and how, as a child, you started to imagine music?
00:34 In the past, you have said that you initially planned to become an organist. Why did you ultimately decide to become a composer?
01:12 The Frontiers of Knowledge Award jury has stated that your work displays “a perfect interweaving of the worlds of acoustic music and technology.” Could you explain the importance of electronics in your work and how you have achieved this seamless fusion of technology with acoustic music?
02:19 Your first opera, *L’Amour de loin*, was a key turning point in your career. Could you tell us how this project came about, why you decided to begin composing opera, and what its success meant to you?
03:09 You are receiving this Frontiers of Knowledge Award alongside leading scientists from various disciplines. As a musician who employs electronics in your work, how do you view the relationship between technology and music, and more broadly between science and the arts? Are these two worlds capable of enriching one another?
