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Avanti! Chamber Orchestra

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Avanti! Chamber Orchestra is a Finnish ensemble that focuses on contemporary music. It was founded in 1983 on the initiative of the conductors Esa-Pekka Salonen and Jukka-Pekka Saraste and the flautist Olli Pohjola. The line-up varies from performance to performance, from a single soloist to a whole symphony orchestra. The ensemble is not tied to one genre, but often chooses new music. One example is HumppAvanti!, a collaboration with the musician Timo Hietala in which humppa and other styles come together.

Music and breakthrough

The debut album earned the orchestra the Gramophone Prize of the Finnish broadcaster YLE. Later came recordings with work by Finnish composers, such as the CD Society of Finnish Composers 50th Anniversary from 1995, and records such as Firmamentum from 1997 and From the Grammar of Dreams from 2000. The orchestra often works with Finnish conductors and with international names such as Heinz Holliger, Oliver Knussen, Ralf Gothoni, Gidon Kremer and Charles Neidich. From 1994 to 1998 Anssi Karttunen was artistic director. Since 1998 that has been the clarinettist Kari Kriikku, who was nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize in 2001.

Influence

Since 1986 the orchestra has organised its own festival, Summer Sounds, in Porvoo every summer. Since the late 1990s the festival has invited a different artistic director each year, from Kaija Saariaho and Magnus Lindberg to Barbara Hannigan and Helmut Lachenmann. In this way Avanti! introduces the Finnish public every year to a foreign guest composer, and Finland remains an important country for contemporary classical music.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a recording by Avanti! with work by a Finnish composer, for example from the CD From the Grammar of Dreams. Notice how clearly the small orchestra lets the different instruments sound.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists