Kaija Saariaho: True Fire, Ciel d'hiver & Trans (Live)

These three orchestral works by Kaija Saariaho display the Finnish composer’s exquisite skill with texture and color. True Fire, written for baritone Gerald Finley, sets six contrasting texts and poems, each a masterpiece of mood. Saariaho builds up her image of a swirling river, for instance, with layers of churning sound, while an Indigenous American lullaby shares its playfulness with darkness and alarm. Finley is in fine form, plumbing the depths of each meditation. “Ciel d’hiver” (“Winter Sky”) captures the starry heavens in intricate sonic detail, its final bars shimmering, frozen in time. And the harp concerto Trans features beautiful, translucent dialogues between soloist and orchestra, each complementing the other in magical symbioses.