Cellist Torleif Thedéen made his international breakthrough in 1985 by winning three major prizes: the Hammer-Rostropovich prize, the Pablo Casals competition, and the EBU's International Tribune for Young Performers.
Composer Biography
Kokkonen taught many talented young pupils at the Sibelius Academy, including Aulis Sallinen, Paavo Heininen, Leif Segerstam, Henrik Otto Donner, and Pehr Henrik Nordgren.
Compositional Technique
Kokkonen's melodic formations use small intervals and fill gaps in scale passages with a minor second, a technique he called "horror vacuui" (fear of empty space).
Recording & Production
This album, like other BIS recordings by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, was recorded in the Church of the Cross (Ristinkirkko) in Lahti, designed by architect Alvar Aalto.
Composer's Artistic Vision
For Kokkonen, the symphony is not just a compositional form but a way of thinking, involving the construction of a unified piece from a limited number of constantly evolving motifs.
Composer Biography
Joonas Kokkonen, born in 1921, was the leading personality in Finnish music for decades, both as a composer and a cultural authority.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Kokkonen highly values old masters like Bach, whom he sees as his greatest inspiration, and concludes his works with "S.D.G." (Soli Deo Gloria), following Bach's practice.
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