Finnish modernist composer Paavo Heininen has died at the age of 84.

Born in Helsinki on Jan. 13, 1938, studied at the Sibelius Academy and was taught composition by Aarre Merikanto, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Einar Englund, and Joonas Kokkonen.

He would continue his studies in Cologne with Bernd Alois Zimmermann and later at the Juilliard School of Music under Vincent Persichetti. He would later go to Poland to study with Witold Lutosławski and went on to the University of Helsinki for musicology.

As a modernist composer, his work can be roughly divided into two periods, the dodecaphonic period from 1957 to 1975) and the serialist period from 1976 onwards.

While his works were at times divisive, he was well known for his eight symphonies of which the last two were written during the pandemic, and 4 piano concertos and he even composed two operas “Silkkirumpu” and “Veitsi.”

Heininen also reconstructed several pieces that his composition teacher Aarre Merikanto mutilated or destroyed, including the latter’s Symphonic Study and String Sextet, among others. He was also an active pianist, premiering, and recording artist as well as an essayist.

He taught at the Academy and influenced such Finnish composers as Magnus Lindberg, Kaija Saariaho, Jukka Tiensuu, Jouni Kaipainen and Veli-Matti Puumala.