Kaija Saariaho

Kaija Saariaho’s work is a part of the spectral school of composers and explores the principle of the “timbral axis” in which “a noisy and grainy texture could be likened to dissonance, while a smooth and limpid texture could correspond to consonance.” The 1980s marked an affirmation of her style, based on progressive transformations of the sound material that culminated with the diptych for orchestra Du cristal… à la fumée (1989-1990). Following this, Saariaho had a brief period of questioning corresponding to the launch of her international career. The composition of the opera l’Amour de loin, with a libretto by Amin Maalouf and directed by Peter Sellars, signified a new step where the principle issues of spectralism, totally absorbed, are doubled by a new lyricism.