View source for Esa-Pekka Salonen

{{short description|Finnish conductor and composer (born 1958)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_suffix   = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KBE}}
| name               = Esa-Pekka Salonen
| image              = Esa-Pekka-Salonen-1997c (cropped).jpg
| caption            = Salonen in 1997 rehearsing the [[Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra]]
| birth_name         = 
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1958|06|30|df=yes}}
| birth_place        = [[Helsinki]], Finland
| citizenship        = 
| occupation         = {{hlist|Conductor|composer}}
| organizations      = {{flatlist|
* [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]]
* [[Philharmonia Orchestra]]
* [[Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra]]
* [[Orchestre de Paris]]
}}
| years_active       = 1979–present
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Jane Price|1991|2017|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Kaarina Gould|2021|}}
}}
| children           = 3
| website            = {{URL|esapekkasalonen.com}}
| signature          = E-P-Salonen-Sign.svg
}}
<!-- please do not add an infobox, per [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes]]-->

'''Esa-Pekka Salonen''' ({{IPA|fi|ˈesɑˌpekːɑ ˈsɑlonen|pron|Fi-Esa-Pekka_Salonen.ogg}}; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish [[conducting|conductor]] and [[composer]]. He is the principal conductor designate of [[Orchestre de Paris]] and creative director designate of the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]]. He is also conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, [[Philharmonia Orchestra]] in [[London]] and the [[Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra]]. He was music director of the [[San Francisco Symphony]] from 2020 to 2025.

==Life and career==

===Early work===
Born in [[Helsinki]], Finland,  Salonen graduated from [[Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu]] (SYK), one of the top high schools in Finland, in 1977<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2019/06/30/kapellimestari-esa-pekka-salosen-salainen-ase-on-taito-saveltaa-musiikin|title=Kapellimestari Esa-Pekka Salosen salainen ase on taito säveltää – Musiikin syntymäpäiväkalenteri|website=yle.fi|date=30 June 2019 }}</ref> and then went to study [[French horn|horn]] and [[musical composition|composition]] at the [[Sibelius Academy]] in Helsinki, as well as conducting with [[Jorma Panula]]. His conducting classmates included [[Jukka-Pekka Saraste]] and [[Osmo Vänskä]].
Another classmate on the composition side was the composer [[Magnus Lindberg]] and together they formed the new-music appreciation group Korvat auki ("Ears open" in the [[Finnish language]]) and the experimental ensemble [[Toimii]] (lit. "It works"). Later, Salonen studied with the composers [[Franco Donatoni]], [[Niccolò Castiglioni]], and [[Einojuhani Rautavaara]].

His first experience with conducting came in 1979 with the [[Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra]], though he still thought of himself principally as a composer; in fact, Salonen has said that he took up conducting primarily to ensure that someone would conduct his own compositions. In 1983, however, he replaced an indisposed [[Michael Tilson Thomas]] to conduct a performance of [[Gustav Mahler|Mahler]]'s ''[[Symphony No. 3 (Mahler)|Symphony No. 3]]'' with the [[Philharmonia Orchestra]] in London on very short notice, without ever having studied the score, and it launched his career as a conductor.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/jan/27/classicalmusicandopera.music|title=LA Variation|work=The Guardian|author=Nicholas Wroe|date=27 January 2007|access-date =13 April 2007}}</ref> He was subsequently principal guest conductor of the Philharmonia from 1985 to 1994.

Salonen was principal conductor of the [[Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra]] from 1984 to 1995. He co-founded the Baltic Sea Festival in 2003 with {{ill|Michael Tydén|sv}} and [[Valery Gergiev]]. This summer music festival presents new classical music and aims to bring the countries around the Baltic Sea together and to raise awareness of environmental deterioration of the Baltic. It continues to be held annually in one of the region's countries.<ref>{{cite web|title=Festival: Baltic Sea Festival|url=http://bachtrack.com/festival/baltic-sea-festival|website=Bachtrack|access-date=15 August 2014}}</ref>

===Los Angeles Philharmonic===
Salonen made his conducting debut in the United States with the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]] in 1984. He said:{{blockquote|I had no idea what to expect. But the one thing that I didn't expect was when an older player came to talk to me after the first concert and said, "Consider this your future home". Something was going on, because I felt the same. I sensed with an absolute certainty that this orchestra, in whatever way, was going to be a very important part of my life. Always.<ref name="Swed Sept 2008" />}}

In 1989, he was offered the title of Principal Guest Conductor by Executive VP [[Ernest Fleischmann]] and was to take the orchestra on a tour of Japan; however, controversy ensued when [[André Previn]], the orchestra's music director at the time, was not consulted on either the Principal Guest appointment or the tour, and objected to both. Continued friction between Fleischmann and Previn led to Previn's resignation in April 1989.<ref>{{cite news | title=The Tyrant of Philharmonic | work=Los Angeles Times | author=Martin Bernheimer | date=8 October 1989}}</ref> Four months later, Salonen was named the orchestra's tenth music director, officially taking the post in 1992 and holding it until 2009.

Salonen's tenure with the orchestra began with a residency at the 1992 [[Salzburg Festival]] in concert performances and as the pit orchestra in a production of the opera ''[[Saint François d'Assise]]'' by [[Olivier Messiaen]]; it was the first time an American orchestra was given that opportunity. Salonen later took the orchestra on many other tours of the United States, Europe, and Asia, and residencies at the [[Lucerne Festival]] in [[Switzerland]], [[The Proms]] in London, in [[Cologne]] for a festival of Salonen's own works, and in 1996 at the [[Théâtre du Châtelet]] in Paris for a [[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]] festival conducted by Salonen and [[Pierre Boulez]]; it was during this Paris residency that key Philharmonic board members heard the orchestra perform in improved acoustics and were re-invigorated to lead fundraising efforts to complete construction of [[Walt Disney Concert Hall]].

Under Salonen's leadership, the Philharmonic became an extremely progressive and well-regarded orchestra. [[Alex Ross (music critic)|Alex Ross]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' said this:{{blockquote|The Salonen era in L.A. may mark a turning point in the recent history of classical music in America. It is a story not of an individual magically imprinting his personality on an institution – what Salonen has called the "empty hype" of conductor worship – but of an individual and an institution bringing out unforeseen capabilities in each other, and thereby proving how much life remains in the orchestra itself, at once the most conservative and the most powerful of musical organisms.<ref name="Ross1">{{cite news|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|first=Alex|last=Ross|author-link=Alex Ross (music critic)|title=The Anti-maestro; How Esa-Pekka Salonen transformed the Los Angeles Philharmonic|date=30 April 2007}}</ref>}}

In 2007, Salonen and the orchestra announced the conclusion of his music directorship in 2009, with [[Gustavo Dudamel]] taking his place.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-maestro-will-pass-baton-to-up-and-comer-story.html |title=From the Archives: Maestro will pass baton to up-and-comer in '09 |work=Los Angeles Times |author=Mark Swed |date=8 April 2007 |access-date=30 June 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/6286.html|title=Gustavo Dudamel to Replace Esa-Pekka Salonen at LA Philharmonic in 2009|publisher=Playbill Arts|author=Matthew Westphal|date=8 April 2007|access-date=13 April 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-phil9apr09,1,1890308.story |title=L.A. Philharmonic warms to Gustavo Dudamel |work=Los Angeles Times |author=Diane Haithman |date=9 April 2007 |access-date=13 April 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422044841/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-phil9apr09%2C1%2C1890308.story |archive-date=22 April 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.dailynews.com/entertainment/ci_5627646|title= Salonen passing L.A. Phil baton to Dudamel|publisher= Los Angeles Daily News|author= David Mermelstein|date=9 April 2007|access-date=13 April 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070930201533/http://www.dailynews.com/entertainment/ci_5627646|archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref>

Before Salonen's last concert as Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic on 19 April 2009, the orchestra announced his appointment as its first Conductor [[Laureate]].<ref name="Conductor Laureate release">{{Cite web|url=http://www.laphil.com/press/press_release/index.cfm?id=2390|title=Los Angeles Philharmonic creates new honor for Esa-Pekka Salonen|publisher=Los Angeles Philharmonic|date=19 April 2009|access-date=26 August 2009}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In addition, the LA Philharmonic created the Esa-Pekka Salonen Commissions Fund "for the express purpose of supporting the commissioning and performance of new works" as a way to honor his support of contemporary classical music during his tenure as music director. At its inception, it was endowed with $1.5 million.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.laphil.com/support/salonenfund.cfm|title=Esa-Pekka Salonen Commissions Fund|publisher=Los Angeles Philharmonic|access-date=26 August 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004011440/http://www.laphil.com/support/salonenfund.cfm|archive-date=4 October 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2009/05/04/090504crmu_music_ross|title=Adieu: Esa-Pekka Salonen ends his reign at the Los Angeles Philharmonic|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|author=Alex Ross|author-link=Alex Ross (music critic)|date=4 May 2009|access-date=26 August 2009}}</ref>

During Salonen's tenure as music director, the orchestra gave 120 pieces their world or American debuts and commissioned over 54 new works. By the time he stepped down, he had served as music director longer than anyone else in the orchestra's history, leading the orchestra in 973 concerts and 23 tours.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.laphil.com/press/press_release/index.cfm?id=2382|title=The Los Angeles Philharmonic celebrates Salonen as he concludes his tenure as Music Director with five world premieres, including his own violin concerto, and a final weekend of works by Stravinsky|publisher=Los Angeles Philharmonic|date=7 April 2009|access-date=26 August 2009}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-apr-20-et-salonen20-story.html | title=Esa-Pekka Salonen exits on a high note | work=Los Angeles Times | author=Timothy Rutten | date=20 April 2009 | access-date=26 August 2009}}</ref>

===Philharmonia Orchestra===
In November 2006, the [[Philharmonia Orchestra]] announced the appointment of Salonen as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor at the beginning of the 2008–2009 season.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/news/philharmonia_orchestra_announces_salonen_as_principal_conductor/ |title=Philharmonia Orchestra Announces Salonen As Principal Conductor |access-date=17 June 2007}}</ref> His initial contract was for 3 years. Salonen has conducted several commercial recordings with the Philharmonia, including music of Berlioz and Schönberg.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/oct/09/schoenberg-gurrelieder-review | title=Schoenberg: Gurrelieder: Isokoski/Groop/Sukowa/Andersen/CBSO Chorus/Philharmonia Voices/Philharmonia/Salonen | work=The Guardian | author=Tim Ashley | date=9 October 2009 | access-date=6 November 2010}}</ref> In November 2010, the Philharmonia announced the extension of Salonen's contract to 2014.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/nov/02/esa-pekka-salonen-bartok-interview | title=Esa-Pekka Salonen: 'Start again. That was disgusting' | work=The Guardian | author=Martin Kettle | date=2 November 2010 | access-date=6 November 2010}}</ref> In September 2013 the orchestra announced the further extension of Salonen's contract through the 2016–2017 season.<ref>{{cite press release | url=http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/assets/files/1693/2013_salonen_contract_extension.pdf | title=Esa-Pekka Salonen: Contract Marks 30th Anniversary with Philharmonia Orchestra | publisher=Philharmonia Orchestra | date=26 September 2013 | access-date=30 September 2013 | archive-date=25 October 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025134955/http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/assets/files/1693/2013_salonen_contract_extension.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref>  In December 2018 the Philharmonia announced that Salonen would conclude his principal conductorship of the orchestra after the 2020–2021 season.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/news/article/54/ESA-PEKKA%20SALONEN%20AND%20THE%20PHILHARMONIA%20ORCHESTRA%20ANNOUNCE%202020/21_as_salonens_final_season_as_principal_conductor_ | title=Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Philharmonia Orchestra announce 2020/21 as Salonen's final season as Principal Conductor & Artistic Advisor | publisher=Philharmonia Orchestra | date=4 December 2018 | access-date=5 December 2018}}</ref>

Salonen made his [[Metropolitan Opera]] conducting debut in November 2009 with the [[Patrice Chéreau]] production of [[Leoš Janáček]]'s ''[[From the House of the Dead]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/arts/music/14dead.htm|title=Two Debuts, Overdue and Overwhelming|work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Anthony Tommasini|author-link=Anthony Tommasini|date=13 November 2009|access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref>

In 2012 his [[Violin Concerto (Salonen)|violin concerto]] written for [[Leila Josefowicz]] won the [[Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Salonen's Violin Concerto wins Grawemeyer music award|url=http://grawemeyer.org/news-updates/salonen2019s-2018violin-concerto2019-wins-grawemeyer-music-award|website=The Grawemeyer Awards|access-date=12 August 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018232415/http://grawemeyer.org/news-updates/salonen2019s-2018violin-concerto2019-wins-grawemeyer-music-award|archive-date=18 October 2014}}</ref> In March 2014 he was awarded the [[Nemmers Prize in Music Composition|Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Musical Composition]] by the [[Bienen School of Music|Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music]] at [[Northwestern University]]. The award includes a $100,000 cash prize, a residency of four nonconsecutive weeks at the school over the next two years, and a performance by the [[Chicago Symphony Orchestra]].<ref name="Allan Kozinn">{{cite news|url= http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/10/esa-pekka-salonen-wins-100000-composition-prize/|title=  Esa-Pekka Salonen Wins $100,000 Composition Prize|work= [[The New York Times]]|author= Allan Kozinn|author-link=Allan Kozinn|date=10 March 2014|access-date = 14 May 2014}}</ref> In the same spring he was also awarded the first creative chair at the [[Tonhalle Orchester Zürich]] for the 2014–2015 season. This post included lectures, workshops, but, most significantly, the commissioning of ''[[Karawane]]'', a new piece for orchestra and chorus based on [[Hugo Ball]]'s [[dada]] poetry and the performance of nine other Salonen pieces throughout the season.<ref name="artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com">{{cite news|url= http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/salonen-will-hear-lots-of-his-own-music-in-new-zurich-post/|title =  Salonen Will Hear Lots of His Own Music in New Zurich Post|work= [[The New York Times]]|author= Allan Kozinn|author-link=Allan Kozinn|date=1 April 2014|access-date =14 May 2014}}</ref>

In autumn 2015 Salonen began a three-season appointment as composer-in-residence of the [[New York Philharmonic]].<ref name="nyphil.org">{{cite web|title=Salonen Residency Kicks Off with ''LA Variations'' Sept. 25–26|url=http://nyphil.org/whats-new/2015/august/salonen-marie-josee-kravis-composer-residence-sept-25|website=New York Philharmonic|access-date=27 October 2021}}</ref> He serves as an advisor to The Sync Project, a global collaboration seeking to understand and harness music's effect on brain health.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2016/05/05/music-in-medicine-peter-gabriel-joins-sync-project-board/|title=The Sync Project Added 4 Musicians to Its Board – Including Peter Gabriel|website=BostInno|access-date=28 September 2016}}</ref> In August 2016 Salonen was named the first artist in association with the [[Finnish National Opera and Ballet]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rhinegold.co.uk/opera_now/finnish-national-opera-ballet-appoints-salonen-artist-association/|title=Finnish National Opera and Ballet appoints Salonen as artist-in-association – Rhinegold|language=en-US|access-date=28 September 2016}}</ref>

===San Francisco Symphony Orchestra===
Salonen first guest-conducted the [[San Francisco Symphony]] (SFS) in 2004. He returned for guest-conducting appearances in 2012 and 2015. In December 2018 the SFS announced the appointment of Salonen as its next music director, effective with the 2020–2021 season, with an initial contract of five seasons.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.sfsymphony.org/About-Us/Press-Room/Press-Releases/EPS-Music-Director-(1).aspx | title=Esa-Pekka Salonen named next Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony | publisher=San Francisco Symphony | date=5 December 2018 | access-date=5 December 2018 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="Kosman">{{cite news | url=https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/esa-pekka-salonen-to-succeed-michael-tilson-thomas-as-sf-symphony-music-director | title=Esa-Pekka Salonen to succeed Michael Tilson Thomas as SF Symphony music director | work=San Francisco Chronicle | author=Joshua Kosman | date=5 December 2018 | access-date=5 December 2018}}</ref>  In March 2024, Salonen announced his departure from the San Francisco Symphony upon the expiration of his contract in 2025, stating that "I do not share the same goals for the future of the institution as the Board of Governors does."<ref name=nytimes-14mar2024>{{Cite news |last=Hernández |first=Javier C. |date=2024-03-14 |title=San Francisco Symphony's Maestro to Step Down, Citing Split With Board |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/arts/music/esa-pekka-salonen-leaving-san-francisco-symphony.html |access-date=2024-03-14 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Veltman |first=Chloe |date=March 14, 2024 |title=San Francisco Symphony music director Esa-Pekka Salonen resigns |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/03/14/1238678686/san-francisco-symphony-music-director-esa-pekka-salonen-resigns |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314232234/https://www.npr.org/2024/03/14/1238678686/san-francisco-symphony-music-director-esa-pekka-salonen-resigns |archive-date=March 14, 2024 |access-date=May 22, 2024}}</ref> Some SFS patrons expressed support for Salonen and displeasure with the board's direction.<ref name="sfist-2jul2024">{{cite news |last1=Kukura |first1=Joe |title=SF Symphony Audience Member Threatened With Ban From Concert Hall for Holding Up Vulgar Sign (in Finnish) |url=https://sfist.com/2024/07/02/sf-symphony-audience-member-faces-ban-from-concert-hall-for-holding-up-vulgar-sign-in-finnish/ |access-date=2 July 2024 |work=[[SFist]] |date=2 July 2024}}</ref>

===Orchestre de Paris===
In September 2025, the [[Orchestre de Paris]] announced the appointment of Salonen as its principal conductor, effective with the 2027-2028 season, with an initial contract of five years.  Salonen had first guest-conducted the Orchestre de Paris in 1988.<ref name="Paris2025">{{cite press release | url=https://medias.orchestredeparis.com/pdfs/02-08-25-communique%CC%81-de-presseesa-pekka-salonen-op-pp-et-la-1.pdf | title=Esa-Pekka Salonen nommé chef principal de l'Orchestre de Paris et titulaire de la chaire Création et innovation de la Philharmonie de Paris à partir de 2027 | publisher=Cité De La Musique & Philharmonie de Paris | date=1 September 2025 | access-date=2025-09-02}}</ref>  In parallel, the [[Philharmonie de Paris]] announced the appointment of Salonen to the newly created post of ''chaire Création et innovation'' ('creativity and innovation chair'), as of the 2027-2028 season, with an initial contract of five seasons.<ref name="Paris2025"/><ref>{{cite news | author=Joshua Barone | title=Esa-Pekka Salonen's Next Move: Reinventing the Maestro | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/arts/music/esa-pekka-salonen-los-angeles-paris.html | work=The New York Times | date=2025-09-02 | access-date=2025-09-02}}</ref>  Also in September 2025, the Los Angeles Philharmonic announced the appointment of Salonen to the new post of creative director, effective in 2026, leading 6 weeks of concerts per year. The orchestra later clarified that the position would be concurrent to the eventual Music Director hired after [[Gustavo Dudamel]] and also to John Adams' role of Creative Chair, that Salonen would keep his title of Conductor Laureate, and not be involved in either programming decisions outside his six weeks per season or have any role in filling open chairs within the orchestra.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://allisyar.com/2025/09/08/i-was-mostly-right-la-phil-gives-salonen-new-title-answers-some-follow-up-questions/ | title=I was (mostly) right: LA Phil gives Salonen new title, answers some follow-up questions | publisher=All is Yar | date=September 8, 2025 | access-date=September 14, 2025 }}</ref>

===Digital projects===
Salonen and the [[Philharmonia Orchestra]] have worked on multi-disciplinary festivals together, including ''Woven Words: Music begins where words end'' to celebrate the centenary of the birth of [[Witold Lutosławski]], Salonen's mentor.<ref>{{cite web|title=Woven Words|url=http://woven-words.co.uk/|website=Philharmonia Orchestra|access-date=15 August 2014}}</ref> They also created the award-winning RE-RITE installation, which was first exhibited in London in 2009 and has since travelled to Portugal, China, Turkey, Germany, and Austria. The digital residency allows members of the public to conduct, play and step inside the Philharmonia Orchestra with Salonen through audio and video projections of musicians performing ''[[The Rite of Spring]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Pering|first1=Emma|title=iOrchestra Presents….. re-rite|url=http://www.whatsonsouthdevon.com/iorchestra-presents-re-rite/|access-date=15 August 2014|work=What's On|date=1 June 2014}}</ref> They followed-up with another installation, ''Universe of Sound'', which was based on [[Gustav Holst]]'s ''[[The Planets]]'', debuted at London's Science Museum,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Coates|first1=Anne|title=Science Museum hosts Universe of Sound: a virtual Philharmonia Ochestra|url=http://www.parentingwithouttears.com/articles/science-museum-universe-of-sound/print|access-date=15 August 2014|work=Parenting Without Tears|date=2 June 2012}}</ref> and won the 2012 [[Royal Philharmonic Society]] Award for Audiences and Engagement.<ref>{{cite web|title=2012: Audiences and Engagement|url=http://www.rpsmusicawards.com/index/2012-audiences-and-engagement|website=Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards|access-date=15 August 2014}}</ref> Salonen and the Philharmonia Orchestra, in partnership with [[Music Sales Group]], Rite Digital, and [[Touch Press]], released a successful [[iPad]] app, [[The Orchestra (app)|"The Orchestra"]]. ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' called the interactive tour through orchestral history "the perfect classical music app."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Walls|first1=Seth Colter|title=The Perfect Classical Music App|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2012/12/the_orchestra_the_best_classical_music_ipad_app_from_esa_pekka_salonen.html|access-date=15 August 2014|work=Slate|date=21 December 2012}}</ref> In the autumn of 2016 the Philharmonia Orchestra launched a digital takeover of the [[Southbank Centre]], featuring the first major virtual-reality production from a UK symphony orchestra.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tilden|first1=Imogen|title=Life, the universe and virtual reality: Southbank unveils classical season|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jan/28/southbank-centre-london-philharmonia-royal-festival-hall-belief-beyond-philharmonic|access-date=15 July 2016|work=The Guardian|date=28 January 2016}}</ref>

===Apple campaign===
[[File:Esa-Pekka and Philharmonia in Apple Store in Berlin.JPG|thumb|Salonen and the [[Philharmonia Orchestra]] perform [[Lutosławski]], [[Sibelius]] and Salonen at the [[Apple Store]], Berlin]]
In 2014 Salonen was part of an international television and web campaign for [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], promoting [[iPad Air]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Esa-Pekka Salonen orchestrates a new sound.|url=https://www.apple.com/your-verse/orchestrating-sound/?cid=www-us-yv-esa-rd|website=Apple|access-date=30 June 2014}}</ref> The campaign included not only the ad itself,<ref>{{cite web|title=Esa Pekka's Verse|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4msNKgRQDc|website=YouTube|access-date=30 June 2014}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links|date=February 2022}}</ref> but also discussions with Salonen on classical music,<ref>{{cite web|title=Esa-Pekka on classical music|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8h9_2Ph5VY&list=PLHFlHpPjgk71oZFqrr4VWF33NrZaky9Ff&index=3|website=YouTube|access-date=30 June 2014}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links|date=February 2022}}</ref> inspiration,<ref>{{cite web|title=Esa-Pekka on inspiration|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRDttTZ1vZg&index=4&list=PLHFlHpPjgk71oZFqrr4VWF33NrZaky9Ff|website=YouTube|access-date=30 June 2014}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links|date=February 2022}}</ref> and composing.<ref>{{cite web|title=Esa-Pekka on composing|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTPoXR78tFM&index=5&list=PLHFlHpPjgk71oZFqrr4VWF33NrZaky9Ff|website=YouTube|access-date=30 June 2014}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links|date=February 2022}}</ref> Apple also offered a new and, for a limited time, free recording of Salonen's Grawemeyer prize-winning [[Violin Concerto (Salonen)|violin concerto]], featuring the violinist [[Leila Josefowicz]] and the Philharmonia Orchestra, 20 of Salonen's classical music picks on the [[iTunes Store]] classical music page, 15 of Salonen's iPad app picks in the app store, and a guest DJ station on iTunes Radio.

The ad was noted for "the novelty of seeing a contemporary classical composer in a piece of mainstream advertising,"<ref>{{cite news|last1=Paget|first1=Clive|title=Esa-Pekka Salonen's app advert goes viral|url=http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Article/386794,esa-pekka-salonens-app-advert-goes-viral.aspx|access-date=30 June 2014|work=Limelight|date=30 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531063815/http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Article/386794,esa-pekka-salonens-app-advert-goes-viral.aspx|archive-date=31 May 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> for the synchronisation of the video editing with the score, and for the positive portrayal of classical music as compared to its typical pop cultural image.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ross|first1=Alex|author-link=Alex Ross (music critic)|title=Esa-Pekka Salonen's Ad for Apple|url=http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2014/05/esa-pekka-salonens-ad-for-apple.html|access-date=30 June 2014|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|date=26 May 2014}}</ref> Salonen also led a concert with violinist [[Leila Josefowicz]] and the Philharmonia Orchestra in an Apple store in Berlin and spoke about mixing music and technology. It was the first time that a full orchestra had performed in an Apple store.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cullingford|first1=Martin|title=Can Apple's latest ad reach the classical audiences of tomorrow?|url=http://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/can-apple%E2%80%99s-latest-ad-reach-the-classical-audiences-of-tomorrow|access-date=30 June 2014|work=Gramophone|date=20 June 2014}}</ref>

In the summer of 2015, Salonen spoke on the uses of technology in music education to a group of Apple Distinguished Educators.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Esa-Pekka Salonen {{!}} Chicago Symphony Orchestra |url=https://cso.org/about/performers/visiting-artists/conductors/esa-pekka-salonen/ |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=Experience the Chicago Symphony Orchestra |language=en-us}}</ref>

===Personal life===
Salonen has been married twice.  His first marriage was to Jane Price, a former musician with the Philharmonia Orchestra.  The couple had three children: daughters Ella Aneira and Anja Sofia, and son Oliver.<ref name="Swed Sept 2008">{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-ca-salonen28-2008sep28,0,3064255.story |title=How Esa-Pekka Salonen and Los Angeles Philharmonic grew together | work=Los Angeles Times |author=Mark Swed |date=28 September 2008 |access-date=17 September 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/02/arts/music/02salo.html?ei=5070&en=18e4b2f6b999996d&ex=1169096400&pagewanted=all |title=Classical Music Star Grabs, and Holds, the Imagination of Fickle Los Angeles | work=New York Times |author=[[Anthony Tommasini]]|date=2 June 2005 |access-date=13 April 2007}}</ref>  Salonen and Price separated in 2017<ref name="Kosman"/> and filed for divorce in June 2018 after 26 years of marriage.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://unicourt.com/case/ca-la23-salonen-elisabeth-jane-vs-salonen-esa-pekka-71204|title=SALONEN, ELISABETH JANE VS SALONEN, ESA-PEKKA|website=UniCourt}}</ref>  Salonen married Kaarina Gould in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Seura |date=2022-04-09 |title=Vauvauutisia! Tuuli Mattilan ja Lauri Nurkseen yhteinen lapsi syntyy alkukesästä – Isyys herkistää: "Tuntuu, että olen enemmän huolissani asioista" |trans-title=
Baby news! Tuuli Mattila and Lauri Nurkse's child will be born in the early summer – Fatherhood sensitizes: "I feel like I'm more worried about things" |url=https://seura.fi/viihde/julkkikset/vauvauutisia-tuuli-mattilan-ja-lauri-nurskeen-yhteinen-lapsi-syntyy-alkukesasta/ |access-date=2024-05-20 |website=Seura.fi |language=fi |quote=Esa-Pekka Salonen, who composed music for the film for the first time, arrived at the premiere with his wife Kaarina Gould. "We have been married since last year," said Salonen, who mainly works in San Francisco. }}</ref> 

When [[Igor Stravinsky]]'s former [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]] residence, at 1260 North Wetherly Drive, was put up for sale, Salonen strongly considered buying it. He stated, however, that after visiting the house and noting that indentations from Stravinsky's piano were still visible in the carpet, he was too intimidated by the prospect of trying to compose in the same house where Stravinsky had written such works as [[Symphony in Three Movements]], the [[Concerto in D (Stravinsky)|Concerto in D for Strings]], ''[[The Rake's Progress]]'', ''[[Orpheus (ballet)|Orpheus]]'', ''[[Agon (ballet)|Agon]]'', the [[Cantata (Stravinsky)|Cantata]], and the [[Mass (Stravinsky)|Mass]].<ref>{{cite news| title=Stravinsky, a Rare Bird Amid the Palms; A Composer in California, At Ease if Not at Home | work=The New York Times | author=Bernard Holland | date=11 March 2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=The Los Angeles Stravinsky Festival | work=American Record Guide | author=Richard S. Ginnell | date=1 July 2001}}</ref><ref name="Ross1" />

==Honours and awards==
In April 2010, Salonen was elected a Foreign Honorary Fellow of the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]].<ref>{{cite press release | url=http://www.amacad.org/news/new2010.aspx | title=New American Academy Announces 2010 Class of Fellows and Foreign Honorary Members | publisher=American Academy of Arts and Sciences | date=19 April 2010 | access-date=2 May 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423124840/http://www.amacad.org/news/new2010.aspx | archive-date=23 April 2010 | url-status=dead }}</ref> In May 2010, he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from the [[University of Southern California]], and later the same day spoke at the graduation ceremony for the [[USC Thornton School of Music]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/05/esapekka-salonen-receiving-honorary-degree-at-usc-.html|title=Esa-Pekka Salonen receiving honorary degree at USC|work=Los Angeles Times|author=David Ng|date=14 May 2010|access-date=22 May 2010}}</ref> Salonen carried the [[Olympic flame]] on 26 July 2012, as part of the [[2012 Summer Olympics torch relay]].<ref>[http://www.london2012.com/torch-relay/torchbearers/torchbearers=esa-pekka-salonen-4439/ "Esa-Pekka Salonen"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728024816/http://www.london2012.com/torch-relay/torchbearers/torchbearers=esa-pekka-salonen-4439/ |date=28 July 2012}}, london2012.com</ref> In December 2020, he was appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the [[Order of the British Empire]] (KBE), for services to music and UK-Finland relations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://philharmonia.co.uk/esa-pekka-salonen-is-awarded-an-honorary-knighthood/|title=Esa-Pekka Salonen is awarded an Honorary Knighthood|website=Philharmonia}}</ref> He was the conductor of the [[Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra]] at the 2023 [[Nobel Prize#Award ceremonies|Nobel Prize Concert]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Nobel Prize Concert|date=December 8, 2023|publisher=Nobel Prize|website=YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0m-xSV29ZI}}</ref> In 2024, he was awarded the [[Polar Music Prize]] alongside [[Nile Rodgers]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Esa-Pekka Salonen — Polar Music Prize |url=https://www.polarmusicprize.org/laureates/esa-pekka-salonen/ |access-date=2024-05-21 |website=www.polarmusicprize.org |language=en}}</ref>

In 2025 he received a [[Grammy Award]] for the San Francisco Symphony's recording of the opera ''[[Adriana Mater]]'', by [[Kaija Saariaho]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finland.fi/arts-culture/finnish-conductor-esa-pekka-salonen-gets-grammy-for-recording-of-kaija-saariaho-s-opera/|title=Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen gets Grammy for recording of Kaija Saariaho's opera|date=3 February 2025|website=Finland.fi|access-date=30 June 2025}}</ref>

==Career highlights==
*1981 – Completed first large scale work, ''...auf den ersten Blick und ohne zu wissen...''
*1983 – Co-founded [[Avanti! Chamber Orchestra]] in Finland with [[Jukka-Pekka Saraste]]
*1985 – Appointed chief conductor of [[Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra]]
*1992 – Won the UNESCO [[International Rostrum of Composers]]
*1992 – Became [[Music Director]] of [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]]
*1993 – Became the first conductor to receive the prestigious Siena Prize of the [[Accademia Musicale Chigiana|Accademia Chigiana]]
*1995 – Appointed Artistic Director of [[Helsinki Festival]]
*1997 – Conducted [[György Ligeti|Ligeti's]] opera, ''Le Grand Macabre'', at the [[Salzburg Festival]] with the [[Philharmonia Orchestra]]
*1997 – Gave world premiere of ''[[LA Variations]]'' in Los Angeles
*1999 – Music Director of the [[Ojai Music Festival]]
*2000 – Took a sabbatical to concentrate on composing
*2001 – Was Music Director of the [[Ojai Music Festival]]
*2003 – Gave opening concerts at [[Walt Disney Concert Hall]] with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, subsequently televised in the United States on PBS ''Great Performances''
*2005 – Performed, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Los Angeles and [[Cologne]], in festivals of his own compositions
*2006 – Named "Musician of the Year" by ''Musical America''
*2007 – "The Tristan Project," performed in Los Angeles and New York
*2007 – World premiere of his [[Piano Concerto (Salonen)|Piano Concerto]] with [[Yefim Bronfman]] (piano) and the [[New York Philharmonic]]
*2008 – Began tenure as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra
*2009 – World premiere of his [[Violin Concerto (Salonen)|violin concerto]] with [[Leila Josefowicz]] (violin) and the Los Angeles Philharmonic
*2011 – Won the 2012 [[University of Louisville]] [[Grawemeyer Award (Music Composition)|Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition]] for his Violin Concerto<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/11/esa-pekka-salonen-wins-the-2012-grawemeyer-award-.html|title=Esa-Pekka Salonen wins the 2012 Grawemeyer Award|date=27 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www2.deutschegrammophon.com/artist/biography?ART_ID=SALES|title=Esa-Pekka Salonen: Biography|work=Deutsche Grammophon website|access-date=17 September 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914073803/http://www2.deutschegrammophon.com/artist/biography?ART_ID=SALES|archive-date=14 September 2008}}</ref>
*2014 – Won the [[Nemmers Prize in Music Composition]]<ref name="Allan Kozinn" />
*2014 – Named Creative Chair at the [[Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich]]<ref name="artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com" />
*2015 – Named Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic<ref name="nyphil.org" />
*2017 – World premiere of his [[Cello Concerto (Salonen)|cello concerto]] with [[Yo-Yo Ma]] (cello) and the [[Chicago Symphony Orchestra]]
*2018 – The [[Colburn School]] appointed Salonen to lead the Negaunee Conducting Program<ref>{{Cite web|title=LA's Colburn School Appoints Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen To Teaching Faculty
|url=https://theviolinchannel.com/esa-pekka-salonen-new-appointment-finnish-conductor-teaching-faculty/ |website=The Violin Channel|date=27 November 2018 |language=en}}</ref>
*2020 – Began tenure as Music Director of the [[San Francisco Symphony]].
*2022 – [[Berlin Philharmonic]] appointed Salonen as Composer-in-Residence for the 2022/23 season<ref>{{Cite web|title="I want my music to be a part of society" Composer in Residence Esa-Pekka Salonen
|url= https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/about-us/composer-in-residence/esa-pekka-salonen/|website=Berliner Philharmoniker|language=en}}</ref>
*2024 – Won the [[Polar Music Prize]].<ref name=":0" />

==Composing==
Salonen's compositions include his ''Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra'' (''auf den ersten Blick und ohne zu wissen'') (1980, with a title taken from [[Franz Kafka]]'s ''[[The Trial]]''), ''Floof'' for [[soprano]] and ensemble (1982, on texts by [[Stanisław Lem]]) and the orchestral ''[[L.A. Variations]]'' (1996).

Salonen has stated that his time in California has helped him to be more "free" in his compositions. Mark Swed, chief music critic of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', described it this way:

<blockquote>When [Salonen] arrived in Los Angeles, he still liked to consider himself a composer-conductor, but the truth was that he had stopped writing music. "The obvious and easy explanation for me to give to people when they were asking why there hadn't been any new pieces for a while was that I had been conducting so much, I had no time," he said. "But that was only half the explanation."

As a European Modernist, Salonen said, he had been inculcated with negatives, such as to avoid melody, harmonic identity and rhythmic pulse. Secretly, though, he was attracted to [[John Adams (composer)|John Adams]], who was then dismissed overseas as being simplistic. "Only after a couple of years here did I begin to see that the European canon I blindly accepted was not the only truth," he said. "Over here, I was able to think about this rule that forbids melody. It's madness. Madness!"

Without a European musical elite looking over his shoulder, Salonen began to feel that it was fine to have his own ideas. "My focus moved from an ideological principle to a pleasure principle" is how he described the composition of his breakthrough piece, "LA Variations," which the Philharmonic premiered in 1997.

Although a work of great intricacy and virtuosity that doesn't ignore Salonen's Modernist training, "LA Variations" builds on rhythmic innovations closer to Adams. The piece proved an immediate hit, so much so that Salonen was stunned by the reaction and then by the score's continuing success – it has been taken up by several other conductors and had more than 80 performances worldwide.<ref name="Swed Sept 2008" /></blockquote>

In order to devote more time to composition, Salonen took a year's sabbatical from conducting in 2000, during which time he wrote a work for solo horn (''Concert Étude'', the competition piece for Lieksa Brass Week), ''Dichotomie'' for pianist Gloria Cheng, ''Mania'' for the cellist [[Anssi Karttunen]] and sinfonietta, and ''Gambit'', an orchestral piece that was a birthday present for fellow composer and friend [[Magnus Lindberg]].

In 2001, Salonen composed ''Foreign Bodies'', his largest work in terms of orchestration, which incorporated music from the opening movement of ''Dichotomie''. Another orchestral piece, ''Insomnia'', followed in 2002, and another, ''[[Wing on Wing]]'', in 2004. ''Wing on Wing'' includes parts for two sopranos and distorted samples of architect [[Frank Gehry]]'s voice as well as a fish.

As is apparent with his interpretations of such avant-garde works as Jan Sandström's ''[[Motorbike Odyssey]]'', Salonen voices a distaste for ideological and dogmatic approaches to composition and sees music creation as deeply physical. In the liner notes for [[Deutsche Grammophon]]'s release of ''Wing On Wing'', he is quoted saying "Musical expression is bodily expression, there is no abstract cerebral expression in my opinion. It all comes out of the body." A recurring theme in his music is the fusion of or relationship between the mechanical and the organic.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/11/02/bmsal02.xml|title= A compulsion to compose|publisher= Telegraph|author= Ivan Hewett|date=2 November 2005|access-date =13 April 2007}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

Salonen has among his intended composing projects a proposed opera based on the novel ''The Woman and the Ape'' by [[Peter Høeg]].

==Compositions==
World premiere details shown where available, Salonen conducting unless otherwise shown<ref>{{Cite web| work=Esa-Pekka Salonen website| url=http://www.esapekkasalonen.com/compositions.php| title=Compositions| access-date=21 November 2008| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210205504/http://www.esapekkasalonen.com/compositions.php| archive-date=10 December 2008}}</ref>

===Orchestral===
* ''Giro'' (1982, rev. 1997), premiered by [[Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra]]; Finland, 27 November 1981
* ''[[L.A. Variations]]'' (1996), premiered by Los Angeles Philharmonic; Los Angeles, 16 January 1997
* ''[[Foreign Bodies]]'' (2001), premiered by Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, [[Jukka-Pekka Saraste]]; Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Kiel, 12 August 2001
* ''[[Insomnia (composition)|Insomnia]]'' (2002), premiered by NHK Symphony Orchestra; Tokyo, 1 December 2002
* ''[[Stockholm Diary]]'' (2004), premiered by Stockholm Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Stockholm, Composer Festival, 27 October 2004
* ''[[Helix (composition)|Helix]]'' (2005), premiered by World Orchestra for Peace, [[Valery Gergiev]]; London, 29 August 2005
* ''[[Nyx (Salonen)|Nyx]]'' (2010), premiered by Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France; Paris, 19 February 2011
* ''[[Gemini (composition)|Gemini]]'' (2018/2019), premiered by Los Angeles Philharmonic; Los Angeles, 26 October 2019 (consists of two originally independent pieces ''Pollux'' and ''Castor'')

===Concertante===
* Saxophone Concerto (1980), premiered by Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Pekka Savijoki, saxophone; Helsinki, 22 September 1981
* ''Mimo II'' for oboe and orchestra (1992), premiered by Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jorma Valjakka, oboe; Helsinki, 14 December 1992
* ''Mania'' for cello and orchestra (2002), orchestra version of "Mania for Cello and Chamber Ensemble"
* [[Piano Concerto (Salonen)|Piano Concerto]] (2007), premiered by New York Philharmonic, [[Yefim Bronfman]], piano; New York, 1 February 2007
* [[Violin Concerto (Salonen)|Violin Concerto]] (2009), premiered by Los Angeles Philharmonic, [[Leila Josefowicz]], violin; Los Angeles, 9 April 2009
* [[Cello Concerto (Salonen)|Cello Concerto]] (2017), premiered by Chicago Symphony Orchestra, [[Yo-Yo Ma]], cello; Chicago, 15 March 2017
* ''Sinfonia concertante'' for organ and orchestra (2022), premiered by Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, [[Iveta Apkalna]], organ; Katowice, 13 January 2023

===Choral/Vocal===
*''Floof (Songs of a Homeostatic Homer)'' (1988) for soprano and chamber ensemble, premiered by Toimii Ensemble, Anu Komsi, soprano; Helsinki, 27 August 1988
*''Five Images after Sappho'' (1999) for soprano and chamber ensemble, premiered by Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, [[Laura Claycomb]], soprano; Ojai, California, 4 June 1999
* ''[[Wing on Wing]]'' for two sopranos and orchestra (2004), premiered by Los Angeles Philharmonic; Jamie Chamberlin and [[Hila Plitmann]], sopranos; 5 June 2004
* ''Dona Nobis Pacem'' (2011) for SATB chorus, premiered at Chatelet Theatre, 4 February 2011
* ''[[Karawane]]'' (2014), premiered by the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich and Zurich Singing Academy, [[Lionel Bringuier]]; [[Tonhalle Zürich]], 10 September 2014

===Chamber/Instrumental===
*''Nachtlieder'' for clarinet and piano (1978)
*''Meeting'' for clarinet and harpsichord (1982)
*''Yta I'' for alto flute (1982)
*''Yta II'' for piano/harpsichord (1985)
*''Yta III'' for cello (1986)
*''Mania'' for cello and chamber ensemble (2000), premiered by Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, Anssi Karttunen, cello, Summer Sounds; Porvoo, 2 July 2000
*''[[Dichotomie]]'' for piano (2000), premiered by Gloria Cheng, piano; Los Angeles, 4 December 2000
*''[[Lachen verlernt]]'' for violin (2002), premiered by [[Cho-Liang Lin]], violin; [[La Jolla, San Diego, California|La Jolla]], California, La Jolla SummerFest, 10 August 2002
* Three Preludes, for piano (2005)

==Selected world premiere performances==
In addition to conducting his own compositions, Salonen has actively championed other composers' music, most notably [[Anders Hillborg]], [[Magnus Lindberg]], [[Kaija Saariaho]], and [[Steven Stucky]]. Many noteworthy compositions have even been dedicated to Salonen. Below is a list of some of the world premieres that he has conducted:

;[[John Adams (composer)|John Adams]]
* ''[[Naïve and Sentimental Music]]'', Los Angeles Philharmonic (19 February 1999)
* ''[[The Dharma at Big Sur]]'', Tracy Silverman (electric violin), Los Angeles Philharmonic (24 October 2003)

;[[Samuel Adams (composer)|Samuel Adams]]
* Chamber Concerto, [[Karen Gomyo]] (violin), Chicago Symphony Orchestra (May 2018)

;[[Louis Andriessen]]
* ''Haags Hakkûh'' (The Hague Hacking) – Double Piano Concerto, [[Katia and Marielle Labèque]] (pianos), Los Angeles Philharmonic (16 January 2009)

;[[Anna Clyne]]
*''[[Within Her Arms]]'' for string orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic (7 April 2009)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clyne |first=Anna |author-link=Anna Clyne |year=2009 |title=Within Her Arms: Programme Note |publisher=[[Boosey & Hawkes]] |url=http://www.boosey.com/cr/music/Anna-Clyne-Within-Her-Arms/53903 |access-date=2 August 2015}}</ref>

;[[John Corigliano]]
* ''[[The Red Violin]]'' (motion picture score), [[Joshua Bell]] (violin), Philharmonia Orchestra

;[[Franco Donatoni]]
* ''Esa (in Cauda V)'', Los Angeles Philharmonic (16 February 2001)

;{{ill|Richard Dubugnon|fr}}
* ''Violin Concerto'', Janine Jansen, Orchestre de Paris (17 December 2008)

;[[Anders Hillborg]]
* ''Clang and Fury'', Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hillborg.com/pressClippings.aspx?RecID=2&ClipTypeID=2|title=News & Press|website=www.hillborg.com}}</ref>
* ''Celestial mechanics'' Stockholm Chamber Orchestra (31 October 1986)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Dfroby_ZTI|title=Celestial Mechanics|via=www.youtube.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://smcq.qc.ca/smcq/en/oeuvre/21619/celestial-mechanics|title=Celestial Mechanics|via=smcq.qc.ca}}</ref>
* ''Liquid marble'', Orkester Norden, (Tampere 1995)
* ''Meltdown Variations'', Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group (1999)
* ''Dreaming Rivers'', Royal Stockholm Philharmonic (1999)
* Piano Concerto (revised version) [[Roland Pöntinen]] and the AVANTI! Chamber Orchestra
* ''Eleven Gates'', Los Angeles Philharmonic (4 May 2006)
* ''Flood Dreams'', Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Brussels, 2009)
* ''Sirens'', [[Anne Sofie von Otter]] and the Los Angeles Philharmonic (2011)

;[[William Kraft]]
* ''The Grand Encounter'', English Horn Concerto, Carolyn Hove (English horn), Los Angeles Philharmonic (16 January 2003)

;[[Peter Lieberson]]
* ''[[Neruda Songs]]'', [[Lorraine Hunt Lieberson]] (mezzo-soprano), Los Angeles Philharmonic (20 May 2005), winner: 2008 [[Grawemeyer Award (Music Composition)]]

;[[Magnus Lindberg]]
* ''[[Kraft (Lindberg)|Kraft]]'' for solo ensemble & orchestra, Finnish Radio Orchestra and the [[Toimii]] ensemble (4 September 1985)
* ''Campana in Aria'' for horn and orchestra, Hans Dullaert (horn), Radio Filharmonisch Orkest Holland (June 1998)
* ''[[Fresco (Lindberg)|Fresco]]'' for orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, (1998)
* [[Cello Concerto No. 1 (Lindberg)|Cello Concerto No. 1]], [[Anssi Karttunen]] (cello), Orchestre de Paris (May 1999)
* Chorale for orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra (2002)
* ''[[Parada (Lindberg)|Parada]]'' for orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra (6 February 2002)<ref>{{cite web |last=Maddocks |first=Fiona |title=It's like the South Bank, only there's more concrete |work=[[The Observer]] |date=9 February 2002 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2002/feb/10/featuresreview.review2 |access-date=16 July 2016}}</ref>
* ''[[Sculpture (Lindberg)|Sculpture]]'' for orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, (6 October 2005)
*[[Cello Concerto No. 2 (Lindberg)|Cello Concerto No. 2]], Anssi Karttunen (cello), Los Angeles Philharmonic (18 October 2013)

;Larry Lipkis
* "Harlequin" for bass trombone and orchestra, Jeffrey Reynolds (bass trombone), David Weiss, Los Angeles Philharmonic (23 May 1997)

;[[Steven Mackey]]
* "Deal" for electric guitar and large ensemble, [[Bill Frisell]] (guitar), [[Joey Baron]] (drums), Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group (17 April 1995)

;[[Colin Matthews]]
* Horn Concerto, [[Richard Watkins]] (horn), Philharmonia Orchestra (April 2001)

;[[David Newman (composer)|David Newman]]
* ''Tales from [[One Thousand and One Nights|1001 Nights]]'' with film by [[Yoshitaka Amano]], Los Angeles Philharmonic (30 April 1998)

;[[Gabriela Ortiz]]
* ''Altar de Piedra'', concerto for percussion ensemble & orchestra, [[Kroumata]] (percussion), Los Angeles Philharmonic, January 2003

;[[Arvo Pärt]]
* [[Symphony No. 4 (Pärt)|Symphony No. 4, ''Los Angeles'']], Los Angeles Philharmonic (10 January 2009)

;[[Joseph Phibbs]]
* ''Rivers to the Sea'', Philharmonia Orchestra (22 June 2012)<ref>Premiere: [[The Anvil, Basingstoke]]. London Premiere: [[Royal Festival Hall]], 28 June 2012. Interview: 'Joseph Phibbs: Rivers to the Sea (New Commission)', Philharmonia Orchestra video, 2012, [https://vimeo.com/43610307 Vimeo]. Listing/Review: Douglas Cooksey, 'Philharmonia Orchestra/Esa-Pekka Salonen at Royal Festival Hall – Phibbs's Rivers to the Sea & Mahler's Resurrection Symphony', [http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_concert_review.php?id=10284 ''Classical Source''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202040101/http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_concert_review.php?id=10284 |date=2 December 2016 }} Published by Ricordi.</ref>

;[[Bernard Rands]]
* Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic (24 February 1994)

;[[Roger Reynolds]]
* Symphony (''The Stages of Life''), Los Angeles Philharmonic (29 April 1993)

;[[Kaija Saariaho]]
* ''Du Cristal'', Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (September 1990)
* "…a la fumée," Petri Alanko (alto flute) and [[Anssi Karttunen]] (cello), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (March 1991)
* ''Graal Théâtre'' for violin and orchestra, [[Gidon Kremer]] (violin), BBC Symphony Orchestra (September 1995)
* ''[[Adriana Mater]]'', Orchestra & Choir of the Paris Opera (April 2006)

;[[Rodion Shchedrin]]
* Piano Concerto No. 5, [[Olli Mustonen]] (piano), Los Angeles Philharmonic (21 October 1999)

;[[Dmitri Shostakovich]]
* Prologue to ''[[Orango (Shostakovich)|Orango]]'' (orchestration by Gerard McBurney), Ryan McKinny (Veselchak, bass-baritone), Jordan Bisch (Voice from the Crowd/Bass, bass), [[Michael Fabiano]] (Zoologist, tenor), Eugene Brancoveanu (Orango, baritone), Yulia Van Doren (Susanna, soprano), Timur Bekbosunov (Paul Mash, tenor), [[Los Angeles Master Chorale]] ([[Grant Gershon]], Music Director), Los Angeles Philharmonic (2 December 2011)

;[[Roberto Sierra]]
* "Con madera, metal y cuero" for percussion soloist and orchestra, [[Evelyn Glennie]] (percussion), Los Angeles Philharmonic (21 January 1999)

;[[Steven Stucky]]
*''[[Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary]]'' (after [[Henry Purcell|Purcell]]), for wind ensemble (February 1992)
* [[Concerto for Two Flutes and Orchestra]], Anne Diener-Zentner (fka Anne Diener-Giles) and Janet Ferguson (flutes), Los Angeles Philharmonic (23 February 1995)<ref>{{cite web |last=Mangan |first=Timothy |title=Music And Dance Reviews : L.A. Philharmonic Ventures Finnish American Program |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=25 February 1995 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-25-ca-35802-story.html |access-date=22 March 2016}}</ref>
* ''Ancora'', Los Angeles Philharmonic (5 October 1995)
* ''American Muse'', [[Sanford Sylvan]] (baritone), Los Angeles Philharmonic (29 October 1999)
* [[Concerto for Orchestra No. 2 (Stucky)|Second Concerto for Orchestra]], Los Angeles Philharmonic (12 March 2004) (Winner: 2005 [[Pulitzer Prize for Music]])<ref>{{cite web |last=Swed |first=Mark |title=Sounds of eternal spring: Composer Steven Stucky's Second Concerto is a lush, tailored fit for Disney. |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=15 March 2004 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-mar-15-et-swed15-story.html |access-date=9 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Child |first=Fred |title=Steven Stucky Wins Pulitzer Prize for Music |work=[[NPR]] |date=5 April 2005 |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4577052 |access-date=9 May 2015}}</ref>
* ''[[Radical Light]]'', Los Angeles Philharmonic (18 October 2007)<ref>{{cite web |last=Kosman |first=Joshua |title=Stucky's 'Radical Light' a feast of mood, color |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=5 December 2009 |url=http://www.sfgate.com/music/article/Stucky-s-Radical-Light-a-feast-of-mood-color-3208998.php |access-date=9 May 2015}}</ref>

;[[Augusta Read Thomas]]
* ''Canticle Weaving: Trombone Concerto #2'', [[Ralph Sauer]] (trombone), Los Angeles Philharmonic (29 March 2003)

;[[Mark-Anthony Turnage]]
* ''From the Wreckage'' for trumpet and orchestra, [[Håkan Hardenberger]] (trumpet), Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (5 September 2005)
* ''From All Sides'', Chicago Symphony and [[Hubbard Street Dance Chicago]] (25 January 2007)

==Recordings==
Salonen is noted for his dedication to performing and recording [[20th-century classical music|contemporary music]]. His 1985 recording of [[Witold Lutosławski]]'s [[Symphony No. 3 (Lutosławski)|Symphony No. 3]] won the 1985 [[Gramophone Award]], the [[Grammy Award]],{{cn|date=February 2025}} and a Caecilia Prize for Best Contemporary Recording. He later recorded Lutosławski's ''Symphony No. 4'' with the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]], once for [[Sony Classical Records|Sony Classical]], and later in a live recording at Walt Disney Concert Hall for [[Deutsche Grammophon]]. He also worked with the [[Philharmonia Orchestra]] to record the complete works of [[György Ligeti]] for Sony Classical, but the project was left unfinished due to lack of funding.

===Best-known recordings===
* Esa-Pekka Salonen: ''Concerto for Alto Saxophone; Floof; Meeting; Nachtleider; Mimo II; Yta I; Yta II; Yta IIb; Yta III'' – Pekka Savijoki; Anu Komsi; Kari Krikku; Jukka Tiensuu; Jorma Valjakka; Mikael Helasvuo; Tuija Hakkila; Anssi Karttunen; Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Avanti! Chamber Orchestra; Esa-Pekka Salonen – Finlandia 0927 43815 2
* [[Béla Bartók|Bartók]]: Piano Concertos 1, 2, and 3 ([[Yefim Bronfman]], piano) ([[Grammy Award]]); Sony Classical SBK89732
* Esa-Pekka Salonen: ''Five Images After Sappho; Gambit; Giro; LA Variations; Mania'' – [[Dawn Upshaw]]; Anssi Karttunen; Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra; London Sinfonietta; Esa-Pekka Salonen – Sony SK89158
* Esa-Pekka Salonen: ''Foreign Bodies; Insomnia; Wing on Wing'' – Anu Komsi; Piia Komsi; [[Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra]]; Esa-Pekka Salonen – [[Deutsche Grammophon]] 477 5375
* [[John Corigliano]]: ''Red Violin'' – Joshua Bell, solo violin; Philarmonia Orchestra; Sony Classical SK63010
*[[Arnold Schoenberg]]: Violin Concerto in D Minor, [[Jean Sibelius]]: Violin Concerto – [[Hilary Hahn]], solo violin; [[Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra]] – [[Deutsche Grammophon]] B0011WMWUW – [[Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra)]]<ref>[http://www.daylife.com/photo/07rgaIF0Fl6ic?q=Hilary+Hahn Hilary Hahn Photo] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219203138/http://www.daylife.com/photo/07rgaIF0Fl6ic?q=Hilary+Hahn |date=February 19, 2012 }}, [[Daylife]] (February 8, 2009)</ref>
* [[Henri Dutilleux]]: ''[[Correspondances]]''; ''[[Tout un monde lointain]]''; ''The shadows of time'' – [[Barbara Hannigan]]; Anssi Karttunen; Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France – [[Deutsche Grammophon]] 0289 479 1180 7
* Esa-Pekka Salonen: ''Out of Nowhere;'' Nyx and Violin Concerto; [[Leila Josefowicz]]; [[Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra]]; Esa-Pekka Salonen; [[Deutsche Grammophon]] B008W5TDP8

===With Los Angeles Philharmonic===

;Deutsche Grammophon
*[[Béla Bartók|Bartók]]: Suite, [[The Miraculous Mandarin]]
*[[Modest Mussorgsky|Mussorgsky]]: ''[[Night on Bald Mountain|St. John's Night on the Bare Mountain]]'' (original version)
*Salonen: ''Helix''
*Salonen: Piano Concerto ([[Yefim Bronfman]], piano)
*[[Dmitri Shostakovich|Shostakovich]] (orchestration by [[Gerard McBurney]]): Prologue to ''[[Orango (opera)|Orango]]''—Ryan McKinny (Veselchak, bass-baritone), Jordan Bisch (Voice from the Crowd/Bass, bass), [[Michael Fabiano]] (Zoologist, tenor), Eugene Brancoveanu (Orango, baritone), Yulia Van Doren (Susanna, soprano), Timur Bekbosunov (Paul Mash, tenor), [[Los Angeles Master Chorale]] ([[Grant Gershon]], Music Director) (world premiere recording)
*Shostakovich: [[Symphony No. 4 (Shostakovich)|Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43]]
*[[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]]: ''[[The Rite of Spring]]''

;DG Concerts — recorded live at [[Walt Disney Concert Hall]]
*[[Beethoven]]: Symphony No. 5
*Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
*Beethoven: Symphony No. 8
*Beethoven: [[Fidelio#The overtures to Fidelio|Overture, Leonore No. 2]]
*[[Claude Debussy|Debussy]]: ''[[La mer (Debussy)|La mer]]''
*[[Manuel de Falla|Falla]]: ''[[El amor brujo]]''
*[[Anders Hillborg]]: ''Eleven Gates'' (world premiere recording)
*[[Hindemith]]: Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of [[Carl Maria von Weber|Weber]]
*[[Karel Husa|Husa]]: ''[[Music for Prague 1968]]''
*[[György Ligeti|Ligeti]]: ''Concert românesc''
*[[Witold Lutosławski|Lutosławski]]: [[Concerto for Orchestra (Lutosławski)|Concerto for Orchestra]]
*Lutosławski: [[Symphony No. 4 (Lutosławski)|Symphony No. 4]]
*[[Alexander Mosolov|Mosolov]]: ''[[Iron Foundry]]''
*[[Arvo Pärt|Pärt]]: Symphony No. 4, "Los Angeles" (world premiere recording)
*[[Prokofiev]]: Suite from ''[[Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev)|Romeo & Juliet]]''
*[[Ravel]]: ''[[Ma mère l'Oye]]''
*Ravel: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D ([[Jean-Yves Thibaudet]], piano)
*Salonen:  ''Helix''
*[[Sibelius]]: [[Symphony No. 2 (Sibelius)|Symphony No. 2 in D major for orchestra, Op. 43]]
*[[Shostakovich]]: Music from ''[[Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (opera)|Lady Macbeth of Mtensk District]]''
*Shostakovich: Suite from ''The Nose''
*[[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]]: ''[[The Firebird]]''
*[[Richard Wagner|Wagner]]: ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'', Prelude
*Wagner: ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'', "Was duftet doch der Flieder" ([[Bryn Terfel]], bass-baritone)
*Wagner: ''Die Walküre'', The Ride of the Valkyries
*Wagner: ''Die Walküre'', Wotan's Farewell and Magic Fire Music (Bryn Terfel, bass-baritone)
*Wagner: ''Lohengrin'', Prelude to Act III
*Wagner: ''Tannhäuser'', "[[Song to the Evening Star|O du, mein holder Abendstern]]" (Bryn Terfel, bass-baritone)

;ECM
*[[Arvo Pärt|Pärt]]: Symphony No. 4, "Los Angeles"

;Nonesuch
*[[John Adams (composer)|Adams]]: ''[[Naïve and Sentimental Music]]''

;Ondine
*[[Kaija Saariaho|Saariaho]]: ''Du cristal ... ''
*[[Kaija Saariaho|Saariaho]]: ''... à la fumée'' (Petri Alanko, alto flute; [[Anssi Karttunen]], cello)

;Philips Classics
*[[Béla Bartók|Bartók]]: Violin Concerto No. 2 ([[Viktoria Mullova]], violin)
*[[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]]: Violin Concerto ([[Viktoria Mullova]], violin)

;Sony Classical
*[[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]]: Transcriptions (by [[Edward Elgar|Elgar]], [[Gustav Mahler|Mahler]], [[Arnold Schoenberg|Schoenberg]], [[Leopold Stokowski|Stokowski]], [[Anton Webern|Webern]])
*[[Béla Bartók|Bartók]]: Concerto for Orchestra
*Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta
*Bartók: Concerto for Piano No. 1, Sz. 83 ([[Yefim Bronfman]], piano)
*Bartók: Concerto for Piano No. 2, Sz. 95 ([[Yefim Bronfman]], piano)
*Bartók: Concerto for Piano No. 3, Sz. 119 ([[Yefim Bronfman]], piano)
*[[Anton Bruckner|Bruckner]]: Symphony No. 4, "Romantic"
*[[Claude Debussy|Debussy]]:  ''[[Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun|Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune]]'' (Janet Ferguson, flute)
*Debussy: ''[[La mer (Debussy)|La mer]]''
*Debussy:  ''[[Images pour orchestre]]''
*Debussy: Trois nocturnes (Women of the [[Los Angeles Master Chorale]])
*Debussy:  ''Le martyre de St. Sébastien'' (Fragments symphoniques)
*Debussy:  ''[[La Damoiselle élue]]'' ([[Dawn Upshaw]], soprano; Paula Rasmussen, mezzo-soprano; Women of the Los Angeles Master Chorale)
*[[Karl Goldmark|Goldmark]]: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra ([[Joshua Bell]], violin)
*[[Bernard Hermann|Hermann]]:  Excerpts, ''[[Torn Curtain]]''
*Hermann:  Overture, ''[[North by Northwest]]''
*Hermann:  Prelude, ''[[The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film)|The Man Who Knew Too Much]]''
*Hermann: Suite, ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]''
*Hermann:  Suite, ''[[Marnie (film)|Marnie]]''
*Hermann:  Suite, ''[[Vertigo (film)|Vertigo]]''
*Hermann:  Suite, ''[[Fahrenheit 451 (1966 film)|Fahrenheit 451]]''
*Hermann:  Suite, ''[[Taxi Driver]]''
*[[Hindemith]]:  ''[[Mathis der Maler (symphony)]]''
*Hindemith:  Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of [[Carl Maria von Weber|Weber]]
*Hindemith:  The Four Temperaments ([[Emanuel Ax]], piano)
*[[Witold Lutosławski|Lutosławski]]:  Symphony No. 1
*Lutosławski:  Symphony No. 2
*Lutosławski:  Symphony No. 3
*Lutosławski:  Symphony No. 4
*Lutosławski:  Piano Concerto ([[Paul Crossley (pianist)|Paul Crossley]], piano)
*Lutosławski:  ''[[Chantefleurs et Chantefables]]'' ([[Dawn Upshaw]], soprano)
*Lutosławski:  Fanfare for Los Angeles Philharmonic
*Lutosławski: ''[[Les Espaces du sommeil]]'' ([[John Shirley-Quirk]], baritone)
*[[Mahler]]: [[Symphony No. 3 (Mahler)|Symphony No. 3]] ([[Anna Larsson (contralto)|Anna Larsson]], contralto; [[Ralph Sauer]], trombone; [[Donald Green (musician)|Donald Green]], posthorn; Martin Chalifour, violin; Paulist Boy Choristers of California, Women of the Los Angeles Master Chorale)
*Mahler: [[Symphony No. 4 (Mahler)|Symphony No. 4]] ([[Barbara Hendricks]], soprano)
*Mahler: ''Das Lied von der Erde'' ([[Plácido Domingo]], tenor; [[Bo Skovhus]], baritone)
*[[Wynton Marsalis]]: ''All Rise'' (Wynton Marsalis, trumpet; [[Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra]]; Paul Smith Singers; Northridge Singers of California State University; Morgan State University Choir)
*[[Prokofiev]]: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 ([[Cho-Liang Lin]], violin)
*[[Silvestre Revueltas|Revueltas]]:  ''Homenaje a Federico García Lorca''
*Revueltas:  ''La noche de los mayas''
*Revueltas:  ''Ocho por radio''
*Revueltas:  ''Sensemayá''
*Revueltas:  ''Ventanas'' for Large Orchestra
*Revueltas:  First Little Serious Piece
*Revueltas:  Second Little Serious Piece
*Salonen:   ''Gambit''
*Salonen:   ''Giro''
*Salonen:   ''LA Variations''
*[[Shostakovich]]: Piano Concerto No. 1 ([[Yefim Bronfman]], piano; [[Thomas Stevens (trumpeter)|Thomas Stevens]], trumpet)
*Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 2 ([[Yefim Bronfman]], piano)
*Shostakovich: Quintet for piano and strings, Op. 57 ([[Yefim Bronfman]], piano, [[Juilliard String Quartet]])
*[[Sibelius]]: ''Finlandia''
*Sibelius: ''The Swan of Tuonela''
*Sibelius: ''Valse Triste''
*Sibelius: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra ([[Cho-Liang Lin]], violin)
*Sibelius: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra ([[Joshua Bell]], violin)
*Sibelius:  ''[[En saga]]''
*Sibelius: ''Kullervo'' Symphony, Op. 7 (Marianna Rorholm, mezzo-soprano; [[Jorma Hynninen]], baritone; Helsinki University Men's Chorus)
*Sibelius: ''[[Lemminkäinen Suite|Lemminkäinen Legends]]'', Op. 22 (Four Legends from the ''[[Kalevala]]'')
*[[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]]: Violin Concerto ([[Cho-Liang Lin]], violin)

===Other orchestras===
;Philharmonia recordings
*[[Dmitri Shostakovich]]: Prologue to "Orango" (World Premiere Recording) and Symphony No 4
*[[Gustav Mahler]]: Symphony No 9
*Gustav Mahler: Symphony No 6
*[[Hector Berlioz]]: ''Symphonie Fantastique'', [[Ludwig van Beethoven]]: ''Leonore'' Overture
*[[Arnold Schoenberg]]: ''Gurrelieder''
*[[Franz Liszt]]: Piano Concertos 1 & 2 and Sonata in B minor ([[Emanuel Ax]], piano)
*[[Sergei Rachmaninov]]: Piano Concertos 2 & 3 ([[Yefim Bronfman]], piano)
*[[Magnus Lindberg]]: ''Cantigas'', Cello Concerto, ''Parada'', & ''Fresco'' ([[Anssi Karttunen]], cello)
*[[Igor Stravinsky]]: ''The Firebird'' & ''The Rite of Spring''
*[[György Ligeti]]: ''Le Grand Macabre''
*György Ligeti: Vocal Works ([[The King's Singers]])
*[[Arnold Schoenberg]]: Piano Concerto, Op. 42, [[Franz Liszt]]: Piano Concertos 1 & 2 ([[Emanuel Ax]], piano)
*[[Igor Stravinsky]]: ''Petrouchka'' & ''Orpheus''
*Igor Stravinsky: ''Le sacre du printemps'' & Symphony in Three Movements
*[[André Jolivet]]: Concerto No 2 for trumpet & Concertino for trumpet, string orchestra & piano, [[Henri Tomasi]]: Concerto for trumpet & orchestra ([[Wynton Marsalis]], trumpet)
*[[Olivier Messiaen]]: ''Turangalîla-Symphonie'', [[Witold Lutosławski]]: Symphony No 3 (Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, [[Paul Crossley (musician)|Paul Crossley]], piano, [[John Shirley-Quirk]], baritone)
*[[Jean Sibelius]]: Symphony No 5, Op, 82 and ''Pohjola's Daughter'', Op. 49

;San Francisco Symphony recordings
*[[Béla Bartók]]: [[Piano Concerto No. 1 (Bartók)|Piano Concerto No. 1]] ([[Pierre-Laurent Aimard]], piano)
*Béla Bartók: [[Piano Concerto No. 2 (Bartók)|Piano Concerto No. 2]] (Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano)
*Béla Bartók: [[Piano Concerto No. 3 (Bartók)|Piano Concerto No. 3]] (Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano)
*[[Anders Hillborg]]: Kongsgaard Variations
*[[György Ligeti]]: Clocks and Clouds
*György Ligeti: Lux Aeterna
*György Ligeti: Ramifications
*[[Elizabeth Ogonek]]: Sleep & Unremembrance
*[[Ottorino Respighi]]: [[Pines of Rome]]
*[[Jean Sibelius]]: [[Symphony No. 5 (Sibelius)|Symphony No. 5]]
*[[Igor Stravinsky]]: [[The Rite of Spring]]

;Oslo Philharmonic recordings
*[[Edvard Grieg|Grieg]]: ''[[Peer Gynt (Grieg)|Peer Gynt]]'', with [[Barbara Hendricks]], Sony Classical Masters, SK 44528, 1993

;Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra recordings
*[[Sergei Prokofiev]]: ''Romeo & Juliet''

;Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra recordings
*[[Kaija Saariaho]]: ''La Passion de Simone'' ([[Dawn Upshaw]], soprano, Tapiola Chamber Choir)
*[[Magnus Lindberg]]: Piano Concerto & ''Kraft'' ([[Toimii]] Ensemble)
*[[Kaija Saariaho]]: ''Château de l'âme'', ''Graal Théâtre'' & ''Amers'' ([[BBC Symphony Orchestra]], [[Avanti! Chamber Orchestra]], Finnish Radio Chamber Choir, [[Dawn Upshaw]], soprano, [[Gidon Kremer]], violin, [[Anssi Karttunen]], cello)
*Magnus Lindberg: ''Kinetics'' (Pekka Savijoko, alto saxophone)
*Magnus Lindberg: ''Metalwork'', ''Ablauf'', ''Twine'', ''Kinetics'', & ''Jeax d'Anches''
*Magnus Lindberg: ''Kinetics'', Esa-Pekka Salonen: Concerto for Alto Saxophone & Orchestra, [[Jouni Kaipainen]]: Sinfonia ([[BBC Symphony Orchestra]], Pekka Savijoki, alto saxophone)

;Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra recordings
*[[Igor Stravinsky]]: ''The Rake's Progress'' ([[Barbara Hendricks]], soprano, [[Håkan Hagegård]], actor, [[Greg Fedderly]], tenor)
*[[Carl Nielsen]]: Violin Concerto, [[Jean Sibelius]]: Violin Concerto ([[Philharmonia Orchestra]], [[Cho-Liang Lin]], violin)
*Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 1 and ''Little Suite'' (Stockholm Chamber Orchestra)
*[[Arvo Pärt]]: ''Credo'' ([[Hélène Grimaud]], piano)
*[[Anders Hillborg]]: Clarinet Concerto, ''Liquid Marble'', & Violin Concerto ([[Martin Fröst]], clarinet, Anna Lindal, violin)
*[[Luigi Dallapiccola]]: ''Il Prigioniero'' & ''Canti di Prigiona''
*[[Magnus Lindberg]]: ''Action'', ''Situation'', ''Signification'', & ''Kraft'' ([[Toimii]] Ensemble)
*''Clang & Fury'' [[Anders Hillborg]]: ''Muoocaaeyiywcoum'', ''Lamento'', ''Celestial Mechanics'', & ''Haut-Posaune'' (Stockholm Chamber Orchestra, Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, [[Kari Kriikku]], clarinet, [[Christian Lindberg]], trombone, Anna Lindal, violin, [[Martin Fröst]], clarinet)
*Igor Stravinsky: ''Oedipus Rex'' (Eric Ericson Chamber Choir)
*[[Lars-Erik Larsson]]: ''God in Disguise'', ''Pastoral Suite'', & Violin Concerto ([[Arve Tellefsen]], violin, [[Hillevi Martinpelto]], soprano, [[Håkan Hagegård]], baritone)
*Carl Nielsen: Flute Concerto, Clarinet Concerto, ''Rhapsody'' Overture, ''Saul & David'', & ''Springtime in Funen'' ([[Håkan Rosengren]], clarinet, Per Flemström, flute)
*[[Franz Berwald]]: Symphonies 3 & 4 (Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra)
*[[Wilhelm Stenhammar]]: ''Serenade'', Op. 31, ''Midwinter'', Op. 24, ''Chitra'', Op. 43
*Esa-Pekka Salonen: ''Mimo II'' (Bengt Rosengren, oboe)
*Carl Nielsen: Symphonies 3 & 6 (Pia-Marie Nilsson, soprano, Olle Persson, baritone)
* ''A Nordic Festival'': [[Hugo Alfvén]]: Swedish Rhapsody No 1 ''Midsommarvaka'' & ''Bergakungen'', [[Jean Sibelius]]: ''Valse Triste'' & ''Finlandia'', [[Edvard Grieg]]: ''Sigurd Jorsalfar'', [[Jón Leifs]]: ''Geysir'', Carl Nielsen: ''Maskarade'', [[Armas Järnefelt]]: ''Berceuse''
*Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 and ''Helios'' Overture
*Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 5 and ''Masquerade'' Overture

;Avanti! Chamber Orchestra recordings
*''The Virtuoso Clarinet'' ([[Kari Kriikku]], clarinet)
*[[Magnus Lindberg]]: ''De Tartuffe'', ''Je crois'', ''Linea d'ombra'', ''Zona'', & ''Ritratto''
*[[Aarre Merikanto]]: 10 Pieces for Orchestra, [[Paavo Heininen]]: ''Musique d'été'', Op. 11, Magnus Lindberg: ''Rittrato'' (other conductors: [[Jukka-Pekka Saraste]] and [[Ari Angervo]])

;London Sinfonietta recordings
*[[Magnus Lindberg]]: ''Away'', ''Amanhacendo Liberdade'', ''Circle Wind'', ''Deusa'', ''Sky Dance'', ''Asa Delta'', ''Rapaziada'', ''Nightflower'', ''Save the Earth'' ([[Endymion (ensemble)]])
*[[Paul Hindemith]]: [[Kammermusik (Hindemith)|''Kammermusik'' No. 3]], Op. 36, No. 2, [[Aarre Merikanto]]: ''Konzertstück'', Magnus Lindberg: ''Zona'', [[Bernd Alois Zimmermann]]: ''Canto di Speranza'' ([[Anssi Karttunen]], cello)
*[[Toru Takemitsu]]: ''To the Edge of Dream'', ''Toward the Sea'', ''Vers'', ''L'Arc-en-Ciel'', ''Palma'', & Folios for Guitar
*[[Igor Stravinsky]]: ''Pulcinella'', Octet, ''Renard'', & ''Ragtime''
*[[Olivier Messiaen]]: ''Des canyons aux étoiles'', ''Couleurs de la cité céleste'', & ''[[Oiseaux exotiques]]'' ([[Paul Crossley (musician)|Paul Crossley]], piano)
*Igor Stravinsky: Concerto for piano & wind instruments, Capriccio for piano & orchestra, Movements for piano & orchestra, & Symphonies of wind instruments ([[Paul Crossley (musician)|Paul Crossley]], piano)

;Stockholm Chamber Orchestra recordings
*[[Arnold Schoenberg]]: ''Transfigured Night'', Op. 4 & String Quartet No. 2 (Faye Robinson, soprano)
*[[Pär Lindgren]]: ''Fragments of a Circle'', ''Bowijaw'', ''Shadows that in the Darkness Dwell'', & ''Guggi-guggi'' for trombone & tape
*[[Igor Stravinsky]]: ''Apollon Musagète'', Concerto in D, & Cantata ([[London Sinfonietta]], (orchestra & chorus), Ulf Forsberg, violin, [[Yvonne Kenny]], soprano, [[John Aler]], tenor)
*[[Joseph Haydn]]: Symphonies 22, 78 & 82
*[[Richard Strauss]]: Prelude to Capriccio, Op. 85, Concertino for clarinet, bassoon & string orchestra, & ''Metamorphosen'' ([[Paul Meyer (clarinetist)]], Knut Sonstevold, bassoon)

;Stockholm Sinfonietta recordings
*''A Swedish Serenade'': [[Dag Wirén]]: Serenade for Strings, Op. 11, [[Lars-Erik Larsson]]: Little Serenade for Strings, Op. 12, [[Lille Bror Söderlundh]]: Concertino for oboe & strings, [[Ingvar Lidholm]]: Music for Strings

;Staatskapelle Dresden recordings
*[[Robert Schumann]]: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54, [[Clara Schumann]]: 3 Lieder, Op. 12 & ''Am Strande'', [[Johannes Brahms]]: Sonata for cello & piano, No. 1, Op. 38 & 2 Rhapsodies, Op. 79 ([[Hélène Grimaud]], piano)

;Finnish National Opera recordings
*[[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]] – [[Perséphone (Stravinsky)|Perséphone]]. Esa-Pekka Salonen, [[Andrew Staples]], Pauline Cheviller, Finnish National Opera. [[Pentatone (record label)|PENTATONE]] PTC 5186688 (2018)
*[[Kaija Saariaho]]: ''[[L'Amour de loin]]'' ([[Peter Sellers]], director, [[Dawn Upshaw]], soprano, [[Monica Groop]], mezzo-soprano, [[Gerald Finley]], baritone)

;Other recordings of Salonen works
*[[Leila Josefowicz]], violin, plays Salonen: ''Lachen verlernt''
*Gloria Cheng, piano, plays Salonen: ''Yta II'', ''Three Preludes'', & ''Dichotomie''
*[[Lin Jiang]], horn and Benjamin Martin, piano, play Salonen: ''Hornmusic 1''

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

* {{cite news |last=Edgar |first=Hannah |date=June 12, 2025 |title=City of Beasts |work=[[VAN Magazine]] |url=https://van-magazine.com/mag/san-francisco-symphony-orchestra-turmoil-esa-pekka-salonen |access-date=August 13, 2025 |url-access=subscription }} {{subscription}}

==External links==
*{{Official|http://www.esapekkasalonen.com/}}
*{{AllMusic |class=artist |id=q7929}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051012154512/http://www.sonyclassical.com/artists/salonen/ Esa-Pekka Salonen] at [[Sony Classical Records|Sony Classical]]
* [http://www.chesternovello.com/Default.aspx?TabId=2431&State_2905=2&composerId_2905=1357 Esa-Pekka Salonen biography] at [[ChesterNovello]]
* [http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/messiaen/perspectives/eps_messiaen.html Esa-Pekka Salonen gives us his perspective on Turangalîla-Symphonie, including the first time he heard the piece, and how you conduct such a colossal work] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080502043503/http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/messiaen/perspectives/eps_messiaen.html |date=2 May 2008 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927231217/http://www.newmusicbox.org/article.nmbx?id=4345 NewMusicBox cover: Esa-Pekka Salonen in conversation with Frank J. Oteri, 2 June 2005] at Archive.org
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070815092925/http://newmusicbox.org/article.nmbx?id=4343 (video excerpts from NewMusicBox)] at Archive.org
* [http://jamona-sacomreal.com/sky-symphony/ Sky Symphony]
* [http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-ca-0928-salonen-pg,0,2061757.photogallery?index=1 ''Los Angeles Times'' Photo Gallery: "Career retrospective: Esa-Pekka Salonen"]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151018161338/http://www.vilarmonia.com/?q=node%2F15& Esa-Pekka Salonen on Virtual International Philharmonic]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081024124401/http://www.celebratesalonen.com/ Interactive timeline of Esa-Pekka Salonen's career]
* [http://www.bruceduffie.com/salonen.html Interview with Esa-Pekka Salonen] by Bruce Duffie, 16 January 1988

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{{Succession box| title=[[Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra|Principal Conductor, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra]] | before=[[Herbert Blomstedt]] | years=1984–1995 | after=[[Yevgeny Svetlanov]]}}
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{{Esa-Pekka Salonen}}
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{{Philharmonia conductors}}
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{{Accademia Musicale Chigiana International Prize laureates}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Salonen, Esa-Pekka}}
[[Category:Esa-Pekka Salonen| ]]
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Musicians from Helsinki]]
[[Category:20th-century Finnish classical composers]]
[[Category:21st-century Finnish classical composers]]
[[Category:20th-century Finnish conductors (music)]]
[[Category:21st-century Finnish conductors (music)]]
[[Category:Sibelius Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Pupils of Jorma Panula]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Litteris et Artibus recipients]]
[[Category:International Rostrum of Composers prize-winners]]
[[Category:Honorary members of the Royal Academy of Music]]
[[Category:Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Finnish male classical composers]]
[[Category:Finnish expatriates in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Finnish expatriates in the United States]]
[[Category:20th-century Finnish male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Finnish male musicians]]
[[Category:Principal conductors of the Philharmonia Orchestra]]
[[Category:Music directors of the San Francisco Symphony]]
[[Category:Music directors of the Los Angeles Philharmonic]]
[[Category:Principal conductors of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra]]