Photo: Aki-Pekka Sinikoski
Piia Komsi
Finnish soprano coloratura Piia Komsi (b. 1967) is an internationally acclaimed performer with an exceptionally large repertoire from early music to the newest contemporary works. Komsi is known for her unique virtuoso, voice acrobatic and various special skills; including singing and playing the cello simultaneously, as she started her musical career as a cellist. Komsi has worked with many composers around the world like Pascal Dusapin, György Kurtag and Liza Lim. She has premiered numerous works by contemporary composers, and many composers (including Vinko Globokar, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kaija Saariaho, Unsuk Chin, Peter Eötvös, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Rolf Riehm, Liza Lim and Heinz-Juhani Hofmann) have written music particularly for her voice.
Komsi has performed with several orchestras all over the world, including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Bayerischer Rundfunk Orchester, Philharmonic Orchestre de Radio France, BBC Symphony Orchestras of London and Cardiff, NDR Symphony Orchestra Hamburg, Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra (MDR), Oslo Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Intercontemporain,
Musik Fabrik Köln, Ensemble Modern, Remix Porto Casa da Musica, Stockholm Royal Filharmonic Orchestra and Finnish Radio Orchestra.
Piia Komsi’s many successful roles such as Medea (Dusapin/Medea), Gepopo (Ligeti/Grand Macabre), Maid (Adès/Powder her Face), Cat (Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland), Queen of the Night and Brünnhilde (Wagner-Dove/Ring Saga) have taken her around the world. Komsi’s opera engagements include Bayerisches Staatsoper, Théatre et Musique Paris, Théatre Capitole Toulouse, Teatro Comunale Bologna, Teatro Colón Buenos Aires, Theater Chemnitz, Finnish National Opera, as well as many independent opera companies in Finland and Nimrod company productions.
Piia Komsi’s latest recordings include “Soita.Kirjoita joskus.Ruf an.Schreib doch mal.” by Heinz-Juhani Hofmann (2021), Liza Lim’s Singing in Tongues (2021), Exil3 by Vinko Globokar( NEOS) and Die Schreckliche gewaltige Kinder by Rolf Riehm (WERGO), and SOLARIS (Naxos). Komsi has also been composing and arranging music, as well as performing as a singer, cellist and actor in the new play by Juha Hurme at the
Helsinki City Theatre during the season 2022-2023.
Programme
19.7.
The Heart of the Day – soprano and cellist Piia Komsi (in Finnish)
19.7.
Armas Järnefelt (1869—1958):
Varpunen (The Sparrow) (1895, lyrics: Suonio/pseud.)
19.7.
Jovanka Trbojević (1963—2017):
Sky Shopping - Hommage à Brahms from the Opera Absurdium for soprano and cello (2011–12, lyrics: Jovanka Trbojević)
19.7.
Jukka Harju (1975):
Frozen Elegy for French horn, violin, piano and voice (2015, lyrics: Panu Tuomi)
20.7.
Kimmo Hakola (1958):
Wood Warbler from Two Imaginary Birds, Op. 114 for soprano and cello (2023)
22.7.
Ilkka Kuusisto (1933):
Suomalainen vieraanvara (Finnish Hospitality) for vocal and piano (1972, lyrics: Helena Vuorenjuuri)
23.7.
Armas Järnefelt (1869—1958):
Pääskylle (To a Swallow) (1895, lyrics: Jooseppi Mustakallio)
23.7.
Armas Järnefelt (1869—1958):
Leivo (The Lark) (1920, lyrics: Aleksanteri Rahkonen)
23.7.
Oskar Merikanto (1868—1924):
Pai, pai, paitaressu (Berceuse Finlandaise), Op. 2 No. 1 (1887, lyrics: Jooseppi Mustakallio)
24.7.
Antonín Dvořák (1841—1904):
Má píseň zas mi láskou zní (My song rings out with love again), Op. 55 No. 1 from Gypsy Songs (1880)
24.7.
Antonín Dvořák (1841—1904):
Aj! Kterak trojhranec můj (Hey, how my triangle), Op. 55 No. 2 from Gypsy Songs (1880)
24.7.
Antonín Dvořák (1841—1904):
Když mne stará matka (Songs my mother taught me), Op. 55 No. 4 from Gypsy Songs (1880)
24.7.
Antonín Dvořák (1841—1904):
Široké rukávy (Flowing sleeves and trousers), Op. 55 No. 6 from Gypsy Songs (1880)
24.7.
Antonín Dvořák (1841—1904):
Dejte klec jestřábu (Give the hawk a cage), Op. 55 No. 7 from Gypsy Songs (1880)
25.7.
Elfrida Andrée (1841—1929):
Forgive me from the Opera Frithiof's Saga (1894–95, lyrics: Selma Lagerlöf)