Saariaho x Koh

"If you are a thoughtful, practical, intelligent chooser - as is our soloist here, Jennifer Koh - you make your choices not on what you can play, but rather on what draws you, what compels you, what calls you ... And so it has been in an ongoing relationship/collaboration between Koh and Saariaho - the composer attended Koh's recording of these pieces - in which the violinist revels in Saariaho's brash brushes of color and flagrant flaunting of string technique ... Koh has found music that has uniquely challenged and inspired her, and, because she is an exceptional artist, she is giving us something unique and inspired ... And whether we end up liking the music or not - it's definitely not easy stuff, we know that Koh has taken us to that end honestly, as true as possible to the composer".

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"When in 2000 violinist Jennifer Koh first encountered the music of Kaija Saariaho, she felt an immediate affinity with her unique synaesthetic soundworld. Since then, the pair have developed a strong creative bond attested by this delicate yet visceral recording. Spanning recent chamber works - two duos and two trios - and the 1994 concerto, Graal théâtre, Koh's grasp of the composer's innter tensions proves both subtle and fiercely virtuosic ... Yet it's Graal théâtre where Koh really takes the breath away ... She spins lines and textures with exquisite refinement and control".

"Der besondere Clou dieser intimen und poetischen kammermusik ist, dass Saariaho hier auf verschiedenste Weise dichterische Vorlagen und Inspirationen integriert und dabei subtile Text- und Lautartikulationen verwendet, die der Flötenstimme beigemischt sind".

"This enriching recital is important both for its expansion of the recorded flute repertoire, and for a deeper understanding of Saariaho herself".