Salonen: LA Variations; Sibelius: Symphony No.5

The finnish composer and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen is renowned for his interpretations of contemporary music and has given countless premières of new works. He has led critically acclaimed festivals of music by Berlioz, Ligeti, Schoenberg, Shostakovich, Stravinsky and Magnus Lindberg. The concert took place at the Verbier Festival, created by Martin T:son Engstroem in 1994, rapidly acquired a reputation for artistic excellence and is now considered to be among the major European music festivals. During a fortnight each July, the greatest stars of the classical music world come together against the magical backdrop of the Swiss Alps. The Verbier Festival gives musicians the opportunity to perform original programmes with fellow musicians they admire, but with whom they may never have performed before. These world première performances produce innovative and exciting results, as much for artists as for audiences.