Kari Kriikku
Kari Kriikku in Stockholm in 2009
Born1960 (age 63–64)
Finland
EducationSibelius Academy
Occupationclarinetist
Years active1980s-present
Musical career
Genres
  • classical
  • contemporary classical
  • baroque
Instrument(s)
  • clarinet
  • piano
  • drums[1]
Labels
Member ofAvanti! Chamber Orchestra

Kari Kriikku (born 1960) is a Finnish classical clarinetist.

Concentrating on contemporary music, Kriikku has served as an interpreter of works for the clarinet by composers such as Olli Koskelin, Vinko Globokar, Kaija Saariaho, Jukka Tiensuu, Jouni Kaipainen, Kimmo Hakola, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Pawel Szymanski, Eero Hämeenniemi, Magnus Lindberg, Michel van der Aa, and Usko Meriläinen.

Early life

Kriikku was born near Seinäjoki, Finland into a musical family. His father was a trumpet player and a pianist; his mothers and sisters played the guitar and piano. Kriikku's first public performance was at a school end-of-term event, during which he and his father performed a piano four hands.[1]

Kriikku left traditional school at age 16 to join the Helsinki Garrison Band, which required him to move into Army barracks. He later studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He continued to study with clarinetists Alan Hacker in England, and Leon Russianoff and Charles Neidich in the United States.[1]

Career

Kari Kriikku co-founded the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra in 1983, and has served as the ensemble's artistic director since 1998.[1]

Finnish contemporary classical composer Jukka Tiensuu wrote clarinet and orchestra concerto Puro (1989),[2] and clarinet concerto Missa (2007) for Kriikku.[3]

In 2002, composer Magnus Lindberg wrote his Clarinet Concerto specifically for Kriikku. The United States premiere performance took place in 2010, conducted by Alan Gilbert, with the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall. The performance was praised by The New York Times, and Kriikku was described as "a player of Olympian virtuosity."[4]

Kaija Saariaho wrote the clarinet part of her orchestra concerto D’om le Vrai Sens (2010) for Kriikku to perform.[5] It was inspired by the six-panels of the 16th-century tapestries "The Lady and the Unicorn," with Saariaho conceiving the clarinet as the unicorn.[6]

Kriikku gave the first performance of South Korean composer Unsuk Chin's Clarinet Concerto in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2014. The piece received a mixed review from The Guardian, with music critic Andrew Clements writing, "it doesn’t seem to be the major addition to the clarinet repertoire that, for instance, the concerto that Magnus Lindberg composed for Kriikku in 2002 most certainly is."[7]

In late 2015, Kriikku toured with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra under guest-conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya.[8]

Kriikku made his Minnesota Orchestra debut in March 2023, performing Saariaho's D’om le Vrai Sens (2010).[9]

Kari Kriikku plays on Buffet Crampon RC Prestige clarinets.

Awards

His recordings of the concertos of Carl Maria von Weber was voted "best ever" recording by Classic CD and BBC Music Magazine.[10]

In 2006, his recording of Magnus Lindberg's Clarinet Concerto (2002) won both BBC Music Magazine's Award and the Classic FM Gramophone Award.[1][3][11]

He was the 2009 winner of the Nordic Council Music Prize: the prize committee wrote, "Kari Kriikku is an extraordinary virtuoso on his instrument, the clarinet. His performance is characterised by flexibility and a positive musician's joy – he is a musician in the best sense of the word."[12]

Discography

Title Released Featuring Label
Crusell: Complete Clarinet Quartets 1989 Avanti! Quartet Ondine
The Virtuoso Clarinet 1989 Avanti! Chamber Orchestra Finlandia
Alexander von Zemlinsky: Clarinet Trio, Op. 3 / Max Bruch: Eight Pieces, Op. 83 1991 Matti Hirvikangas (viola), Martti Rousi (cello), Arto Satukangas (piano) Ondine
Claude Debussy: Rhapsody For Clarinet And Orchestra / Jukka Tiensuu: Puro / Jouni Kaipainen: Carpe Diem! 1991 Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste Ondine
Magnus Lindberg: ...De Tartuffe / Je Crois / Linea D'Ombra / Ritratto / Zona 1992 Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor), Anssi Karttunen (cello), Avanti! Chamber Orchestra Finlandia
Carl Maria von Weber: Clarinet Quintet; Grand Duo Concertante / Felix Mendelssohn: Concert Pieces 1 & 2 for Clarinet, Basset-horn and Piano 1994 New Helsinki Quartet, Osmo Linkola (basset-horn), Arto Satukangas (piano) Ondine
Klarinetti! 1994 Osmo Linkola, Anna-Maija Korismaa, Kullervo Kojo, Suomalainen klarinettiyhtye Suomen Kuvalehti Classica
From Scandinavia: Lindberg, Sørensen, Saariaho, Tiensuu 1996 Arditti String Quartet, Jukka Tiensuu Auvidis, Montaigne
Carl Maria von Weber: Clariner Concertos 1 & 2 / Concertino / Clarinet Quintet 1997 Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo Ondine
Avanti! 1997 Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, John Storgårds Ilmailulaitos
Crusell: Clarinet Concertos 2000 Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo Ondine
Kimmo Hakola: Clarinet Quintet / Loco / Capriole 2002 Avanti! Quartet, Anssi Karttunen (cello) Ondine
A Century of Finnish Chamber Music: Live from the Kuhmo Festival 2002 Various artists[13] Ondine
W.A. Mozart / Johann Molter: Clarinet Concertos 2005 Tapiola Sinfonietta, John Storgårds Ondine
Kimmo Hakola: Clarinet Concerto / Verdoyances crépscules / Diamond Street 2005 Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo Ondine
Magnus Lindberg: Clarinet Concerto // Gran Duo // Chorale 2005 Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo Ondine
A Due 2007 Anssi Karttunen (cello) Ondine
Jukka Tiensuu: Nemo · Puro · Spiriti 2008 Mikko Luoma (accordion), Avanti!, Susanna Mälkki (conductor) Alba
Bizarre Bazaar 2009 Tapiola Sinfonietta, Jan Söderblom Ondine
Jukka Tiensuu - Vie / Missa for Clarinet and Orchestra / False Memories I-III 2010 Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, John Storgårds Ondine
Uljas Pulkkis: Tales of Joy, Passion and Love 2011 Gabriel Suovanen, Hannu Lintu, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra Ondine
Saariaho - D'om Le Vrai Sens for clarinet and orchestra / Laterna Magica / Leino Songs 2011 Anu Komsi, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo Ondine
Magnus Lindberg: Chamber Works 2012 Anssi Karttunen (cello), Magnus Lindberg (piano) Ondine
Brahms-Glanert: Four Serious Songs / Brahms-Berio: Clarinet Sonata No. 1 / Glanert: Weites Land 2017 Michael Nagy (baritone), Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Olari Elts (conductor) Ondine

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Wif Stenger (15 February 2022). "Pioneers: Kari Kriikku – clarinettist extraordinaire". Music Finland. Music Finland. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  2. ↑ "Puro, concerto for clarinet & orchestra". All Music. Allmusic, Netaktion LLC. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  3. 1 2 "artist information". KD Schmid. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  4. ↑ Vivien Schweitzer (14 February 2010). "Clarinet Gets Acrobatic Workout". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  5. ↑ Anthony Tommasini (14 October 2016). "Review: A Composer's Mystical Music Gets the Space It Demands". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  6. ↑ Michael Roddy (9 March 2019). ""Unicorn" clarinet spreads Saariaho's enchantment in Dublin". Bachtrack. Bachtrack Ltd. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  7. ↑ Andrew Clements (23 October 2015). "Philharmonia/Collon review – a glistening blend of menace and magic". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  8. ↑ Sell, David (5 November 2015). "Concert Review: Bold Worlds, NZSO". The Press. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  9. ↑ "The Nearest Clarinetist May Be Behind You". Minnesota Orchestra. Minnesota Orchestra. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  10. ↑ "Concerts". ERSO. 5 December 2002. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  11. ↑ "Lindberg, Magnus/Saariaho, Kaija/Hakola, Kimmo – A Due: Duo works for clarinet & cello (Ondine Audio CD)". Boosey & Hawkes. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  12. ↑ "Prize winner 2009". Nordic cooperation. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  13. ↑ "A century of Finnish chamber music : Live from the Kuhmo Festival". muziekweb.nl. Muziekweb. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
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