Kaija Saariaho wrote surprisingly little music for solo piano or harpsichord.  Over her 40+ year composing career it amounts to a little under an hour of music and it has now been recorded by Tuija Hakkila who had an association with the composer dating back to 1982.  The disk, Touches, contains eight pieces.  Five are actually for solo piano with one piece for piano and cello (Anssi Karttunen) and two for harpsichord and electronics.

Most of the solo piano music is quite meditative though with a rhythmic flexibility that kind of comes and goes.  It’s complex but not in your face.  Arabesques et adages though is a bit different.  It was composed as a set piece for a piano competition and so, as you would expect, it’s got lots of technical challenges.  It’s fast and complex and louder than much of the other music. Continue reading →