Born: 1958, Helsinki, Finland

“For much of the last century, what you might call the ‘critical mass’ of the orchestra has tended to be dismissed as an institution belonging to the past. I don’t share that view, above all because there’s no real equivalent for the mental and physical energy you get from an orchestra playing at its optimum level, and creating its own collective ‘sound image’.”

Lindberg frequently uses live electronics, but the sound of the orchestra itself is the basic stuff of his most characteristic music. From an early interest in serial rigors and French spectralism, his distinctive style has broadened to include aspects of minimalism, free jazz, progressive rock, and East Asian music. He is closely associated with other Finnish musicians of his own generation, such as Esa-Pekka Salonen and Kaija Saariaho. He has written a number of concerted works, including piano and violin concertos, and instrumental virtuosity is a hallmark of much of his work.

Further listening:
Kraft (1983-1985)
Toimii Ensemble,
Esa-Pekka Salonen (Ondine)

Fresco (1998)
Philharmonia Orchestra,
Esa-Pekka Salonen (Sony Classical)

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