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Kaija Saariaho: Light, nature and the cosmos

Kate Molleson and Gillian Moore shine new light on the 'modern' music of the 20th century. This week, Gillian explores the music of Finland’s Kaija Saariaho.

Kate Molleson and Gillian Moore present BBC Radio 3's series exploring the pivotal 'modern' musical works of the 20th century, the groundbreaking composers who created them, and the radical cultural and artistic movements which gave rise to them. In this episode, Gillian explores the music of Finland’s Kaija Saariaho, leading to a full listen to her 1987 work Io, composed for the 10th anniversary cele­brations of the Pompidou Centre in Paris. Along the way, we’ll pay another visit to that city's famous basement bunker at IRCAM, discover music from Korea inspired by the natural world, and find out why Io made use of a particular technology that was in the process of becoming defunct…

Produced by Sam Phillips
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3

To listen on most smart speakers just say, “ask BBC Sounds to play 20th Century Radicals”

25 days left to listen

59 minutes

Last on

Sunday21:00
BBC Radio 3

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Music Played

  • Kaija Saariaho

    Io

    Orchestra: Avanti!. Conductor: Jukka‐Pekka Saraste.
    • Io.
    • Finlandia.

  • U2

    Where The Streets Have No Name

    • The Joshua Tree.
    • Island Records.

  • Kaija Saariaho

    Lichtbogen

    Ensemble: Endymion Ensemble. Conductor: John Whitfield.
    • Lindberg.Kaipainen.Hämeenniemi.Saariaho.
    • Finlandia.

  • Kaija Saariaho

    Du Cristal

    Conductor: Esa‐Pekka Salonen. Orchestra: Los Angeles Philharmonic.
    • Works for Orchestra.
    • ONDINE.

  • Kaija Saariaho

    Nymphea

    Ensemble: Cikada String Quartet.
    • Saariaho, Cage, Maderna: In Due Tempi.
    • ECM.

  • Kaija Saariaho

    Graal Theatre - II.

    Performer: Gidon Kremer. Orchestra: BBC Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Esa‐Pekka Salonen.
    • Château de l'âme.
    • Sony.

  • Younghi Pagh-Paan

    Io

    Ensemble: E-MEX-Ensemble. Conductor: Christoph Maria Wagner.
    • Seidener Faden - Silken Thread.
    • WERGO.

  • Einstürzende Neubauten

    Steh auf Berlin

    • Kollaps.
    • POTOMAK.

  • Magnus Lindberg

    Kraft - I.

    Ensemble: Toimii Ensemble. Conductor: Esa‐Pekka Salonen. Orchestra: Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
    • Kraft.
    • Finlandia.

  • Gérard Grisey

    Transitoires

    Performer: Garth Knox. Ensemble: Asko Ensemble. Conductor: Stefan Asbury. Orchestra: WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne.
    • Les Espaces Acoustiques.
    • KAIROS.

  • Hugues Dufourt

    Saturne

    Ensemble: Ensemble L'itineraire. Conductor: Péter Eötvös.
    • Saturne - Surgir.
    • UNIVERSAL.

  • François Bayle

    Les Couleurs De La Nuit: Anime

    Performer: François Bayle.
    • Les Couleurs De La Nuit.
    • Sub Rosa.

  • Kaija Saariaho

    Io

    Orchestra: Avanti!. Conductor: Jukka‐Pekka Saraste.
    • Io.
    • Finlandia.

  • Oneohtrix Point Never

    Lifeworld

    • Tranquilizer.
    • WARP RECORDS.

Broadcast

  • Sunday21:00
    BBC Radio 3