Lilli Paasikivi

Ian Stones
Catherine Znak
“Lilli Paasikivi practically stole the show. She was well-nigh perfect.”
(The New York Sun)
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Lilli Paasikivi ranks amongst the world’s leading interpreters of the Mahler song-cycles and symphonies. Appearances have included Das Lied von der Erde and Des Knaben Wunderhorn with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (Salonen); Symphony No.2 with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (Oramo) and NHK Symphony Orchestra (Paavo Järvi); Symphony No.3 with the London Symphony Orchestra (Paavo Järvi); Symphony No.8 with the Berliner Philharmoniker (Rattle); Kindertotenlieder with the New World Symphony (Tilson Thomas); and Das Lied von der Erde with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Elder).
Lilli Paasikivi made her debut with the New York Philharmonic (Maazel) in the world-premiere of Rodion Shchedrin’s The Enchanted Wanderer returning for Mahler’s Symphony No.2 and Verdi’s Messa da Requiem both under Alan Gilbert. As a champion of the music of her homeland, other concert highlights have included Sibelius’ Kullervo and a new commission, Migrations, by Olli Kortekangas with the Minnesota Orchestra under the baton of fellow Finn Osmo Vänskä. She performed Sibelius’ incidental music for The Tempest with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Vänskä) and sang the role of The Pilgrim in the French premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s L’amour de loin at Theatre du Chatelet under Kent Nagano.
Following her debut with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker as Fricka in the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence’s production of Der Ring des Nibelungen, Wagnerian roles have become central to Lilli Paasikivi’s work on stage with notable performances at La Monnaie as Brangäne, at Staatsoper Hamburg as Fricka, at Oper Frankfurt as Kundry and last season she appeared as Fricka in Der Ring des Nibelungen at Finnish National Opera under the baton of Susanna Mälkki. Other roles at Finnish National Opera have included Carmen, Amneris and Eboli and elsewhere she made her house debuts at Opéra National de Lyon as Der Komponist (Ariadne auf Naxos) and at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in the world-premiere of Toshio Hosokawa’s Hanjo.
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Paasikivi’s celebrated work on disc includes The Dream of Gerontius with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Ashkenzay); Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig (Chailly); Mahler’s Symphony No.3 with the Philharmonia Orchestra (Zander); Mahler’s Symphony No.8 with the London Symphony Orchestra (Gergiev); Kullervo with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra (Vänskä); and Alma Mahler’s Complete Songs arranged and conducted by Jorma Panula.
Lilli Paasikivi has held the post of Artistic Director of the Finnish National Opera. since 2013.
She was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal in 2008 in recognition of her artistic achievements and in 2017 she received the Commander’s Badge by the Order of the Lion of Finland.
“Lilli Paasikivi is one of the leading interpreters of the Mahler song-cycles and symphonies, and it was a delight to witness her performance with QSO – she directed her gaze across the entire hall, enunciating clearly and engaging the audience with her movements and gestures.”
“Lilli Paasikivi, singing with burnished warmth as [Kullervo’s] Sister.”
“… the mezzo soloist in the central scena for Kullervo and his sister/lover is the thrilling Lilli Paasikivi”
“In the final, monumental song, Der Abschied (the farewell), her performance rose gradually in intensity, weaving in and out of the complex yet transparent orchestration, until the extraordinary peroration, Allüberall und ewig blauen licht die Fernen!; that passage which famously Kathleen Ferrier couldn’t sing without breaking down in tears. Well, Paasikivi didn’t break down, but there wasn’t a dry eye in the audience at the end of the concert. It was unspeakably moving, one of the finest performances of this wonderful piece that I have ever heard.”
“Lilli Paasikivi as the Finnish Farmer’s wife threatened, with crunching consonants — “Rämäksi reen rekutan!” – to chop up Kullervo’s sleigh; but then flexed the giant wind sail that is her warm mezzo-soprano voice in the farewell song.”
“Lilli Paasikivi was the breathtaking mezzo, beautiful in tone and infinitely noble of utterance.”
“On retrouve le mezzo Lilli Paasikivi, dont la ligne vocale somptueusement menée bénéficie d’une riche expressivité.”