KAIJA SAARIAHO

The world premiere performance of Kaija Saariaho’s second opera was recorded at Davies Symphony Hall in June 2023, just days after the composer’s untimely death. The New York Times commented: “Saariaho’s tenderly comforting music looks at the worst in the world and says: The only way forward is grace.” 

The opera is an intensely moving work exploring the relationship between a mother and her son in a war-torn country as they navigate the violence that defines their past and present and threatens to claim their future.

Esa-Pekka Salonen conducted the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus together with soloists Fleur Barron (title role), Axelle Fanyo (Refka), Nicholas Phan (Yonas), and Christopher Purves (Tsargo).  

Released digitally last August, the recording won Best Opera Recording at the 67th GRAMMY Awards® in February 2025. We now release the acclaimed work on CD for the first time.