Kaija Saariaho

Semafor

Study Score. Co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall, and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival in celebration of their 50th Anniversary. Composed for eight instruments. The Swedish spelling of the word semaphore is a reference to the late Finnish artist Ernst Mether-Borgström, whose first language was Swedish. His work has been well-known to me since my childhood, and I grew up with his paintings. He also created several versions of playful and colorful sculptures which he called Semafor, since he thought of them as traffic signs in our urban jungle. In his mind, he considered that art should surround us everywhere as a messenger of spiritual values in our life. Who wouldn’t agree?