Leif Segerstam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leif Segerstam (born March 2, 1944) is a Finnish conductor and composer.
He is currently the chief conductor of Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. He has held positions with numerous other orchestras, including the Danish National Radio Symphony and the Austrian Radio Symphony, and guest conducted many orchestras throughout the world including the Chicago Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Toronto Symphony and the Brazilian OSESP - the Symphony Orchestra of the State of Sâo Paulo.
He is widely known through his recorded discography, which includes the complete symphonies of Sibelius, Nielsen, and Mahler, as well as many works by contemporary composers -- both Finnish composers such as Einojuhani Rautavaara as well as Americans such as John Corigliano and Christopher Rouse.
As a composer, he is known especially for his numerous symphonies (which number more than 150) and his series of "Orchestral Diary Sheets", many of which are intended to be performed without a conductor. He developed a personal approach to aleatory through a style called "free pulsation" in which musical events interact in time flexibly.
In 1999, he was awarded the Nordic Council Music Prize for his work as a "tireless champion of Scandinavian Music."
He is also known for his odd use of the English Language, and a list of quotations has been compiled by Dale Gold, Principal Double Bass of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
[edit] External references
| Preceded by Milan Horvat |
Principal Conductor, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra 1975–1982 |
Succeeded by Lothar Zagrosek |
| Preceded by Okko Kamu |
Principal Conductor, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra 1977–1987 |
Succeeded by Jukka-Pekka Saraste |
| Preceded by Lamberto Gardelli |
Principal Conductor, Danish National Symphony Orchestra 1988–1995 |
Succeeded by Ulf Schirmer |
| Preceded by Sergiu Comissiona |
Principal Conductor, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra 1996– |
Succeeded by incumbent |
