The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France performs Saariaho and Sibelius

Leading the orchestra for this concert in Paris, Santtu-Matias Rouvali conducts three works by Saariaho, performed as French premieres: Asteroid 4179: Toutatis, Laterna magica and Leino Songs. Kaija Saariaho's atmospheres are mostly dreamy and this programme shows it well: Asteroid 4179 deals with the asteroid which orbit is the closest to the Earth; Laterna magica is a meditation on light based on the autobiography by Ingmar Bergman; and the Leino Songs are composed after four poems by the Finnish writer Eino Leino (1878-1926). TheLeino Songs are here interpreted by Anu Komsi.

The orchestra also performs two works by Sibelius: the symphonic poem Luonnotar, telling the story of the creation of the world according to the Kalevala, and the seventh and last symphony of the composer, written in 1924.

With the support of the Institut finlandais de Paris and the Finland Embassy in France.

The concert will also be broadcast live on www.citedelamusiquelive.tv and on France Musique.