20th century
Baroque
Classical
Romantic
20th century
21st century
Solo repertoire
Piccolo
Alto flute
Bass flute
Saariaho Kaija
Aitken, Robert
Amirov, Fikret
Amlin, Martin
Amram, David
Andriessen, Jurriaan
Arnold, Malcolm
Arrieu, Claude
Auric, Georges
Babbit, Milton
Bacchus, Peter
Bacri, Nicolas
Baker, Michael Conway
Baksa, Robert
Barber, Samuel
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Bolling, Claude
Bon, Maarten
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Genzmer, Harald
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Weigl, Vally
Weinberg, Mieczysław
Wilder, Alec
Williams, Ralph Vaughan
Yi, Chen
Yun, Isang
Zgraja, Krystof
NoaNoa for flute and electronics
NoaNoa for flute and electronics
Kaija Saariaho: NoaNoa for flute and electronics was written in 1992. The work is dedicated to the flutist Camilla Hoitenga, who was a primary collaborator on the piece's technical details. It was premiered by Camilla Hoitenga on July 23, 1992, at the Darmstadt Summer Course (Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik). The electronic part was developed at IRCAM under the supervision of Jean-Baptiste Barrière and programmed by Xavier Chabot.
Saariaho stated that the piece was born from a desire to "exaggerate, even abuse" certain flute mannerisms that had haunted her for years. By forcing herself to write down these recurring ideas, such as rapid ascending scales, she sought to clear her mind for new creative directions.
The title and vocal fragments are taken from Paul Gauguin’s travel diary and woodcut series titled NoaNoa ("fragrant" in Tahitian). The flutist whispers or sings fragments of Gauguin’s text into the instrument while playing. Many of the musical ideas for NoaNoa originated while Saariaho was composing her 1991 ballet, Maa.
Unlike works with a fixed tape, NoaNoa uses live electronics triggered by the flutist via a foot pedal. The electronics perform three primary functions: extending specific notes through reverb (sustaining a note while the flute moves on), triggering pre-recorded and processed flute/vocal samples, and applying filters based on the spectral analysis of the instrument.
The year 1992 was a milestone for Saariaho’s electronic research. Along with NoaNoa, she realized Près for cello and electronics, both utilizing the ISPW (Ircam Signal Processing Workstation).
Elizabeth Salerno (flute), Sophia Sagaradze (Electronics), live performance in 2024 at the Konservatoriets Concert Hall in Copenhagen, Denmark
NoaNoa
Saariaho Kaija
Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023) was a Finnish composer, known for her pioneering work in spectralism and the integration of electronics with acoustic instruments.
Born in Helsinki, Finland, she was raised in a family where music was not a professional pursuit but a private passion. Her father was an industrialist, and her mother a homemaker. Saariaho famously recalled "hearing" music in her head and even under her pillow as a child. She pursued her formal studies at the Sibelius Academy under Paavo Heininen. Alongside contemporaries like Esa-Pekka Salonen and Magnus Lindberg, she co-founded the "Ears Open!" society, which sought to challenge the conservative musical establishment in Finland. Seeking to distance herself from the "academic serialism" of her youth, she moved to Germany to study with Brian Ferneyhough and Klaus Huber at the Freiburg Musikhochschule. However, her most transformative moment occurred in 1982 when she moved to Paris to work at IRCAM (Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music), where she discovered the potential of computer-assisted composition and spectral analysis.
Saariaho’s style is defined by a focus on timbre and texture over traditional melody and harmony. Her music often explores the "inner life" of sounds, utilizing spectral analysis to bridge the gap between noise and pitch.
Saariaho had a profound affinity for the flute, writing many of her most famous chamber works for the instrument, including Laconisme de l'aile (1982) and NoaNoa (1992).