Segerstam: Six Songs of Experience / String Quartet

Featuring

Leif Segerstam
Taru Valjakka
Hannele Segerstam
Mauri Pietikäinen
Veikko Sakari Höylä
ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien

Segerstam Quartet

Did you know?

1/7

Compositional Technique

The composer, Leif Segerstam, gives interpreters of his String Quartet No. 7 the freedom to choose their own ending from multiple notated options, or even combine them.

Composer Biography

Leif Segerstam, born in 1944, is recognized as one of the most versatile musical talents from the Nordic countries.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Leif Segerstam characterizes his 1971 work, Six Songs of Experience, as a step towards a utopian ideal he calls the 'organic musical kaleidoscope'.

Compositional Technique

The 'organic musical kaleidoscope' concept, as applied in Six Songs of Experience, involves orchestral musicians playing without a conductor or comprehensive score, relying on improvisation.

Composer Biography

Leif Segerstam studied violin, piano, composition, and conducting at Helsinki's Sibelius Academy and the Juilliard School in New York.

Compositional Technique

Leif Segerstam's String Quartet No. 7 uses altered tunings for instruments in its second movement, which he states gives 'new room and dimension' for 'experiencing-time'.

Composer Biography

Leif Segerstam has conducted at major opera houses and festivals worldwide, including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Covent Garden, and the Salzburg Festival.