Anu Komsi, Vienna Philharmonic & Sakari Oramo
Biography Anu Komsi, Vienna Philharmonic & Sakari Oramo
Anu Komsi
continues to be praised for her versatile musicianship and her dynamic coloratura voice. She began her musical education in Kokkola, Finland, where she played both flute and violin in the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra. Equally at home on both opera and concert stages, she has appeared regularly all over Europe and in the United States. She is a versatile recitalist and chamber musician with a repertoire ranging from Renaissance to contemporary music. New York Magazine described her as being a “Pyrotechnic Grace” on the stage. Engagements at leading opera houses and concert halls like in Wien, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Milano, Cologne, Frankfurt, Bremen, Rome, Sao Paulo, Prag, Stockholm, Helsinki have kept her busy. Her repertoire takes in over 60 operatic roles including Lulu, Nannetta, Zerbinetta, Olympia, Gilda, Norina, Michaela, Queen of the Night and in George Benjamin’s Into the Little Hill, a role written specially for her. Morton Feldman’s Neither is one of her signature roles. At her Salzburg Festival debut in summer 2011 she was hailed in the press as “the excellent anti-opera heroine”. In recent seasons the title roles of Lady Sarashina by Eötvös, Schneewittchen-Snowwhite by Holliger, President Kekkonen by H-J Hofmann has been internationally acclaimed.
Newest success in the season 2016 was the role of Eva in Stockhausen Production of the Year” in the prestigious Opernwelt magazine.She has been the soloist with numerous major orchestras like New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra London, DSO Berlin, Milano la Scala , Wien Symphoniker, CBSO Birmingham, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Ensemble Modern , Cech Philharmonic, Ensemble Intercontemporain, London Sinfonietta, Oslo Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra and worked with celebrated conductors like Sir Roger Norrington, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Alan Gilbert, Franz Welser-Möst, Heinz Holliger, Sakari Oramo, Jesus Lopez Cobos, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Hannu Lintu, Susanna Mälkki, Rudolf Barshai, Leif Segerstam. In her most acclaimed repertoire in recent years includes Sibelius´s Luonnotar which is recorded with Lahti Symphony for BIS, Kaija Saariaho´s Leino Songs which are recorded for Ondine and the piano reduction was commissioned by Anu herself, Tiensuu´s Voice Verser- specially written for her, E-P Salonen´s Wing on Wing with her sister Piia Komsi and recorded by Deutsche Grammophon, Magnus Lindberg´s Accused, Heinz Holliger´s Morgenstern Lieder, Mahler Symphonies 2th, 8th and 4th which is also recorded with Sir Roger Norrington&SWRSO.
Anu Komsi leads an Opera Festival in her home Town of Kokkola on the West Coast of Finland and the 12. festival will take place 20.7.-23.7. 2017 in Kokkola showing the Finnish premiere of G. Meyerbeer programme. ́s “Donnerstag aus licht” in Basel Theatre and the production was titled ”The ́s Grand Opera L ́etoile du Nord being also a official part of Finland100 Celebration.
