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Kaija Saariaho, the composer-in-residence at the Carnegie Hall in this season,
how do you get to the Carnegie Hall?
- Practice, practice, practice.
Magnus Lindberg, you began practicing composition at the Sibelius Academy in the 1970s,
and you are now a composer-in-residence at the New York Philharmonic.
If someone had told you then,
that Kaija will be at the Carnegie Hall and that you'll be at the New York Phil,
how would you have replied?
- It would have felt like such a remote idea
that we didn't think about things like that.
- Early on, we were looking to Europe.
- We wanted to expand our world.
- The Finnish culture, at least in composition and music, derives from the German and Russian traditions.
- We had a strong idea of going to Italy and France, to look at what's happening in Southern Europe.
- That was the dream. We didn't dream of coming here.
- That said, some people of our generation, like Eero Hämeenniemi, came to study in America.
- But the idea of being at these institutions didn't occur to us.
- No, but as you said, we really didn't think about these things.
- That kind of career planning wasn't in vogue at the time.
Kaija Saariaho, you moved to New York from Paris for this season.
You'll return to your home in Paris after this.
What were the biggest surprises about living in New York and working at the Carnegie Hall?
- First of all, I wanted to come here for a longer period,
because this has always felt like such a nice place to visit.
- I was curious about what it was like to live here.
- What's been surprising is that the positivity that we all can see when we arrive here,
seems to lie deep in the entire culture and in the attitude
with which people here forge ahead even when it's very difficult.
That positivity is not there in Paris, or is it?
- Well, in Paris, the measure of your intelligence is how critical you can be.
- That's not always terribly positive.
What's your main mission as the composer-in-residence at the Carnegie Hall?
What was required of you?
- There was no requirement as such. We planned the program of my music together ahead of time.
- Then we had a workshop, for which composers and string instrumentalists applied.
- We selected the musicians with Anssi Karttunen. That was a longer process.
- Otherwise the program has been concerts and talks preceding them.
Meetings with the audience. - Yes.
Magnus Lindberg, what was the biggest surprise for you as the composer-in-residence at the New York Phil?
- The biggest surprise... it's been the positive experience.
- The New York Phil has a reputation as an orchestra that can be a very difficult.
- I have not experienced that at all.
- It's been an incredibly nice group of people, very attentive and helpful, truly seeking solutions together.
- I can say that that's probably been the biggest surprise.
- It's been incredibly nice to work with them. The pace has been very fast.