Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen has announced he is stepping down from the San Francisco Symphony after the upcoming season. The conductor will step down after four years following an unexplained conflict between the symphony’s board and the conductor. In a statement, Salonen said, “I have decided not to continue as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony because I do {…}
Esa-Pekka Salonen has been awarded the 2024 Polar Music Prize. The prize, which is a Swedish international award founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, gives one contemporary musician and one classical musician the prize. Salonen was awarded alongside Nile Rodgers. Finnish conductor and composer Salonen had his breakthrough in 1983 when he conducted Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 and as a {…}
Photo Credit: Stefan Bremer/Finnish National Opera “Covid fan tutte“ is a reconceptualization of Mozart’s comic opera organized by the Finnish National Opera in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The story is a farcical reimagining of “Così fan tutte,” focusing on the impact of COVID-19 and the ability of opera singers to perform. Most of the opera takes a satirical look {…}
(Credit: Credit: Brittany Hosea-Small) Kaija Saariaho died in early June 2023. Her opera, “Adriana Mater,” opened at San Francisco Symphony a few days later. The semi-staged performance seemed like a ritual itself to honor the noted Finnish composer. The story of human suffering in war was conducted by San Francisco’s Music Director, Esa-Pekka Salonen, with depth and finesse. Four singers {…}
The San Francisco Symphony has announced its 2023-24 season. For this article, our focus will be solely on vocal performances. It all kicks off with a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. Soloists include Dashon Burton, Ben Bliss, and Tamara Mumford. The program also features Olly Wilson’s “Shango Memory.” Performance Dates: Oct. 19 – 22, {…}
The Philharmonia Orchestra has announced a conductor change for its upcoming performance. The company said that for the performance on March 26, 2023, “Esa-Pekka Salonen has tested positive for COVID, and regrets that he is unable to conduct this performance.” As a result, Alexander Soddy will step in at short notice. Soddy has conducted at opera houses around Europe, at the {…}
The San Francisco Symphony is set to present Stravinsky’s “Oedipus Rex” and “Symphony of Psalms” on June 10-12, 2022. The showcase will be conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen and staged by Peter Sellars, in the first of a four-year collaboration during which the director will mount four large-scale productions between 2022-25. “This particular combination of two major Stravinsky pieces premiered in {…}
(Credit: Houston Symphony official website) Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen has tested positive for COVID-19. The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra has officially announced that Salonen contracted the virus and will be quarantining per the official rules. The conductor took to Twitter, saying that he feels a bit grumpy, but also happy that the scheduled concerts will take place with a replacement. Accordingly, {…}
(Credit: Matthias Creutziger) The Teatro alla Scala has announced that German conductor Christian Thielemann will replace Esa-Pekka Salonen for the inaugural concerts of the 2021-22 season. The company noted that Salonen is indisposed and was forced to cancel. Thielemann will conduct the Filarmonica della Scala in three consecutive evenings featuring soprano Camilla Nylund. The repertoire for the concerts includes Richard {…}
(Credit: Palau de la Música Catalana official website) Famed Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen has received an Honorary Knighthood by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, for services to music and to relations between the United Kingdom and Finland. “This is a true personal honor, but more than that, it is meaningful to have artists honored at a national – at a {…}
(Credit: Emelie Kroon) When COVID-19 struck a few months back, one of the final “live” performances to take the stage was a rendition of Wagner’s “Die Walküre” in Sweden. Among the performers in that production was dramatic soprano Elisabet Strid, who took on the role of Sieglinde. Strid, who has performed in such opera houses as the Teatro Real, Lyric {…}