Magnus Lindberg wins Wihuri Sibelius Prize
Magnus Lindberg has been awarded the Wihuri Sibelius Prize, a prestigious international award that carries with it one of the largest cash sums in the classical music sector, EUR 100,000.
The prize was established in 1953 to recognise and support the work of "prominent composers who have become internationally known and acknowledged". It has been awarded only ten times since Jean Sibelius received the inaugural award in 1953 and Lindberg now joins the elite rank of previous winners including Dmitri Shostakovich (1958), Igor Stravinsky (1963), Benjamin Britten (1965), Olivier Messiaen (1971) and György Ligeti (2000).
Lindberg (b.1958) is one of the most acclaimed European composers of his generation, particularly admired for his thrilling and virtuoso orchestral scores. His Concerto for Orchestra was premiered in London in September by the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Jukka-Pekka Saraste, and future projects include a new orchestral work for the Los Angeles Philharmonic for May 2004, as part of the opening season in the new Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a commission for Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
Lindberg is widely recorded on Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, Finlandia, Ondine and other labels. Two new orchestral recordings are planned for release by Ondine during 2004, with repertoire including the Piano Concerto with the composer as pianist, Kraft, the Clarinet Concerto and Gran Duo.
Further information on Wihuri Sibelius Prize
> Further information on Work: Concerto for Orchestra
Photo © Richard Haughton