Opening concert Saariaho Festival

Asko|Schönberg establishes both the alpha and omega in the opening concert of the Saariaho Festival. Graal théâtre for violin and ensemble from 1994 was one of Saariaho’s first successful works, and the trumpet concerto Hush from 2023 is her swan song. The concerto written for jazz trumpeter Verneri Pohjola takes the listener on a journey through her life. A haunting work that is even more impressive in this ensemble version. 

‘Each concerto is in a way a portrait of the soloist for whom it was written’, Kaija Saariaho said of Hush. Graal théâtre, her first concerto, written for Gidon Kremer, is such a portrait. Asko|Schönberg and violinist Joseph Puglia have played the piece so many times that they’ve truly made it their own. Nice to know: the important trumpet part in Graal théâtre returns in Hush, her last concert.