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Spotlight on ... Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts Mahler

In our Choral Concert I, Festival Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts Gustav Mahler's 2nd Symphony, the so-called »Resurrection Symphony«, which is one of the greatest and most moving orchestral works in music history and describes the path from darkness to light, from despair to hope and finally to redemption in impressive musical images. Experience two evenings full of emotion with Julie Roset, Jasmin White, the Bavarian Radio Chorus and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Esa-Pekka Salonen - Festival Conductor 2025

Esa-Pekka Salonen is recognised worldwide for his work as both a composer and conductor. Born in Finland, he is Conductor Laureate of the London Philharmonia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. He has also been Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra since 2020 and was Artistic Director of the Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm from 2003 to 2018.


»It’s a journey that is very unlike any other piece of music (…) and finally comes to the Finale, where Mahler gives us the keys to understand why we are here on this planet.«

Esa-Pekka Salonen

Highlights from the last season with the the San Francisco Symphony include world premieres of Jesper Nordin’s violin concerto »Convergences«, with Collaborative Partner Pekka Kuusisto, and Anders Hillborg’s Piano Concerto, with Emanuel Ax. Salonen also conducted the inaugural California Festival, San Francisco programming included the world premiere of Jens Ibsen’s »Drowned in Light« and the San Francisco premieres of Gabriella Smith’s »Breathing Forest«.

Salonen is Festival Conductor at the Easter Festival 2025 and conducts not only the Choral Concert I but also the opera production Khovanshchina and the Orchestral Concert I. He leads the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in each of the programmes.

Esa-Pekka Salonen

Choral Concert I