Aulis Heikki Sallinen (born April 9, 1935) is a Finnish composer who creates modern classical music. His music has been described as "very intense and challenging," a "well-designed mix of different 20th-century styles," and "neo-romantic." Sallinen studied at the Sibelius Academy, where his teachers included Joonas Kokkonen. His works have been commissioned by the Kronos Quartet, and he has written seven operas, eight symphonies, and concertos for violin, cello, flute, horn, and English horn. He has also composed several chamber music pieces. In 1978, he won the Nordic Council Music Prize for his opera Ratsumies (The Horseman).

Childhood and studies

Sallinen was born in Salmi. During his childhood, his family moved several times because of his father's job. In 1944, during the Evacuation of Finnish Karelia, the family moved to Uusikaupunki, where he attended school.

His first musical instruments were the violin and the piano. He learned to play both jazz and classical music. During his teenage years, he spent a lot of time improvising. Later, he began writing his musical ideas on paper and started composing seriously. He attended the Sibelius Academy of Music and studied under several teachers, including Aarre Merikanto and Joonas Kokkonen.

Early career and operas

After graduating, Sallinen began working as a composition teacher at the Sibelius Academy and continued to write music. Some of his students included Jouni Kaipainen and the Austrian-born Finnish composer Herman Rechberger.

In 1960, Sallinen was chosen to be the general manager of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, a role he held until 1969. From 1971 to 1974, he served as the chairperson of the board of the Society of Finnish Composers. Although he was well-known as a teacher and worked on many boards, his own compositions were not widely recognized until 1976, when the Finnish government named him "Artist Professor," giving him the opportunity to focus fully on composing.

Sallinen’s first opera, Ratsumies (known in English as The Horseman), was first performed at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in 1975. His second opera, Punainen viiva (The Red Line), was created at the request of the Finnish National Opera. His third opera, Kuningas lähtee Ranskaan (The King Goes Forth to France), was jointly commissioned by Covent Garden and the Finnish National Opera.

Later life

After receiving his lifelong "artist professorship," Sallinen focused much of his time on composing music. He has completed eight symphonies, one of which includes music from a planned ballet inspired by The Lord of the Rings and two medieval Finnish songs from Piae Cantiones. He has also written seven operas and created the main song for the Kronos Quartet's album Winter Was Hard.

Career highlights

• 1960 – received a diploma from the Sibelius Academy
• 1960–1970 – worked as an administrator of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
• 1978 – received the Nordic Council Music Prize for The Horseman
• 1981 – was named the first lifetime professor of Arts by the Finnish Government, allowing him to focus on composing full-time
• 1983 – received the Wihuri Sibelius Prize
• 2004 – released the first recording of complete orchestral music in a series on the CPO label

Selected works

• The Horseman, Op. 32 (1974) – also known as Ratsumies in Finnish and Ryttaren in Swedish
• The Red Line, Op. 46 (1978)
• The King Goes Forth to France, Op. 53 (1983) – also known as Kuningas lähtee Ranskaan in Finnish
• Kullervo, Op. 61 (1988)
• The Palace, Op. 68 (1991–1993) – also known as Palatsi in Finnish
• King Lear, Op. 76 (1999)

• Symphony No. 1, Op. 24 (1970–71)
• Symphony No. 2, Symphonic Dialogue, for percussionist and orchestra, Op. 29 (1972)
• Symphony No. 3, Op. 35 (1974–75)
• Symphony No. 4, Op. 49 (1978–79)
• Symphony No. 5, Washington Mosaics, Op. 57 (1984–85, revised 1987)
• Symphony No. 6, From a New Zealand Diary, Op. 65 (1989–90)
• Symphony No. 7, The Dreams of Gandalf, Op. 71 (1996)
• Symphony No. 8, Autumnal Fragments, Op. 81 (2001)

• Two Mythical Scenes, Op. 1 (1956)
• Variations for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 5 (1961–62)
• Mauermusik, Op. 7 (1963)
• Variations for Orchestra, Op. 8 (1963)
• Chorali for wind orchestra, Op. 22 (1970)
• Chamber Music I, for string orchestra, Op. 38 (1975)
• Chamber Music II, for alto flute and string orchestra, Op. 41 (1976)
• Dies Irae, for soprano, bass, male choir and orchestra, Op. 47 (1978)
• Shadows, prelude for orchestra, Op. 52 (1982)
• Chamber Music III, The Nocturnal Dances of Don Juanquixote, for cello and string orchestra, Op. 58 (1985–86)
• Sunrise Serenade, Op. 63 (1989)
• Songs of Life and Death, for baritone, choir and orchestra, Op. 69 (1995)
• Palace Rhapsody for wind orchestra, Op. 72 (1996)
• Introduction and Tango Overture, for piano and string orchestra, Op. 74b (1997)
• A Solemn Overture (King Lear), Op. 75 (1997)
• Chamber Music IV, Metamorphoses of Elegy for Sebastian Knight, for piano and string orchestra, Op. 79 (2000)
• Chamber Music V, Barabbas Variations, for accordion (or piano) and string orchestra, Op. 80 (2000)
• Chamber Music VI, 3 invitations au voyage, for string quartet and string orchestra, Op. 88 (2006)
• Chamber Music VII, Cruseliana, for wind quintet and string orchestra, Op. 93 (2007)
• Chamber Music VIII, The Trees, All Their Green (Paavo Haavikko in memoriam), for cello and string orchestra, Op. 94 (2008)
• Chamber Music X, for violin, harp and string orchestra, Op. 114 (2018)
• From the shadows of old songs (Rhapsody for Orchestra), Op. 121b (2023–24)

• Violin Concerto, Op. 18 (1968)
• Cello Concerto, Op. 44 (1977)
• Flute Concerto, Harlequin, Op. 70 (1995)
• Horn Concerto, Campane ed Arie, Op. 82 (2002)
• Chamber Concerto, for violin, piano, and string orchestra, Op. 87 (2005)
• Concerto for Clarinet, Viola, and Chamber Orchestra, Op. 91 (2007) – also available for clarinet, cello, and chamber orchestra as Op. 91a
• English Horn Concerto, Op. 97 (2010–11)
• Concerto for two accordions, string orchestra and percussion, Op. 115 (2018–19)
• Fasakura for bassoon and small orchestra, Op. 121 (2023)

• String Quartet No. 1, Op. 1 (1956)
• String Quartet No. 2, Op. 2 (1957)
• String Quartet No.