Magnus Lindberg was born in Helsinki in 1958. Following piano studies he entered the Sibelius Academy where his composition teachers included Einojuhani Rautavaara and Paavo Heininen. The latter encouraged his pupils to look beyond the prevailing Finnish conservative and nationalist aesthetics, and to explore the works of the European avant-garde. This led around 1980 to the founding of the informal grouping known as the Ears Open Society including Lindberg and his contemporaries Hämeeniemi, Kaipainen, Saariaho and Salonen, which aimed to encourage a greater awareness of mainstream modernism. Lindberg made a decisive move in 1981, travelling to Paris for studies with Globokar and Grisey. During this time he also attended Donatonis classes in Siena, and made contact with Ferneyhough, Lachenmann and Höller.
His compositional breakthrough came with two large-scale works, Action-Situation-Signification (1982) and Kraft (1983-85), which were inextricably linked with his founding with Salonen of the experimental Toimii Ensemble. This group, in which Lindberg plays piano and percussion, has provided the composer with a laboratory for his sonic development. His works at this time combined experimentalism, complexity and primitivism, working with extremes of musical material. During the late 1980s his music transformed itself towards a new modernist classicism, in which many of the communicative ingredients of a vibrant musical language (harmony, rhythm, counterpoint, melody) were re-interpreted afresh for the post-serial era. Key scores in this stylistic evolution were the orchestral/ensemble triptych Kinetics (1988), Marea (1989-90) and Joy (1989-90), reaching fulfilment in Aura (1993-94) and Arena (1994-95).
Recent works, including the concert-opener Feria (1997), large-scale orchestral statements such as Fresco (1997) and Cantigas (1999), and concertos for cello (1999) and clarinet (2002), have established Lindberg as one of the most invigorating of composers working in the orchestral field. In the 2001/2002 season his music was celebrated internationally in the Related Rocks festival in London, Paris and Brussels, with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, and a linked disc of his orchestral music was released by Sony. His Concerto for Orchestra was premiered by the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 2003 and the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen premiered his latest work Sculpture in October 2005.
Future projects include a new work for the Berlin Philharmonic under Simon Rattle. Lindbergs music has been recorded on the Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, Ondine and Finlandia labels. In 2003 Lindberg was awarded the prestigious Wihuri Sibelius Prize.
Hello Mr. lindberg !
I'm very glad you've added me and hope you've liked the sounds on my page a bit because i have much respect for you as a musician. Your "compositeurs d'aujourd'hui" cd is one of my favorite cd ever and i've been using it to make friends discover contemporary music. It has often made wonders. Anyway, hope you're doing fine. See you ! :-)
I really enjoyed the recording of Kari Kriikku playing your Clarinet Concerto. I'm even borrowing the solo part from B&H to attempt working up for fun -- it's too bad there is no piano reduction!
