Esa Pietilä´s concerto Graffiti Play for tenor saxophone, contemporary jazz trio & orchestra which we premiered together, sounds like if Frank Zappa and György Ligeti had married themselves and had gotten a child together – Esa-Pekka Salonen

Great musician, highly recommended
– Risto Nieminen – Director, Music Service Gulbenkian Foundation

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Saxophonist and composer Esa Pietilä

Esa Pietilä is an internationally acclaimed saxophonist and composer. Though renowned for his extensive work in both contemporary classical and jazz, he transcends genre, creating music without limits.

Pietilä has composed extensively for orchestras, chamber ensembles and soloists. Major compositions include Graffiti Play, premiered with Avanti! Chamber Orchestra in 2014, Blazing Frames, premiered with Kamus Quartet in 2018, and Saturn, premiered with Pétur Sakari in 2020.

He has performed as soloist with a range of top orchestras including Kuopio Symphony, Lappeenranta City Orchestra and Saimaa Sinfonietta. He has collaborated with leading composers, conductors and musicians including Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor), Pekka Kuusisto (violinist) and Magnus Lindberg (composer).

He also writes for and plays saxophone with a number of high-profile modern jazz groups including Sonic Decode, Liberty Ship and Esa Pietilä Trio, and presents improvised solo concerts displaying a quicksilver imagination and questing mind.

Other projects are less easy to categorize. His duo with organist Pétur Sakari presents improvisations alongside compositions by Pietilä, Bach and Astor Piazzolla. His duo Kujala- Pietilä Treatment, with accordionist and composer Veli Kujala, melds live electronics, composed music and improvisation. And his work with Kamus Quartet and the Skatta Quartet combines strings and saxophone.

 

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