About this Artist
Finnish mezzo-soprano LILLI PAASIKIVI is in demand for concerts at the highest level. Notable performances have included: Des Knaben Wunderhorn with the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen; the world premiere of Shchedrin’s The Enchanted Wanderer with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Lorin Maazel; and The Dream of Gerontius with Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under Vladimir Ashkenazy. Lilli Paasikivi has performed Kindertotenlieder with Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under Mariss Jansons, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paavo Järvi. Her performance of Fricka in Das Rheingold with the Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle prompted praise from the Financial Times: “Vocal honours are shared between Gambill and Lilli Paasikivi’s Fricka, whose lovely lyric timbre matches her gentle stage personality” (Andrew Clark, July 2006). Lilli Paasikivi made her BBC Proms debut in 2007 with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vänskä: the all Sibelius programme included solo songs with orchestra and The Tempest.
As principal soloist at Finnish National Opera roles have included Carmen, Angelina (La cenerentola), Marguerite (La damnation de Faust), Marchesa Melibea (Il viaggio a Reims); Varvara (Katya Kabanova) and Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier). Elsewhere Lilli Paasikivi has sung The Pilgrim in Saariaho’s L’amour de loin at Théâtre du Chatelet; the role of Jitsuko Honda in the world premiere of Toshio Hosokawa’s Hanjo at the Aix Festival; The Composer (Ariadne auf Naxos) at Opéra de Lyon, Fricka (Das Rheingold and Die Walküre) in Aix, and Brangäne (Tristan und Isolde) at La Monnaie.
Lilli Paasikivi’s recordings include: Sibelius’ Kullervo Symphony; Sibelius’ Maiden in the Tower; Mahler Symphony No. 3; Alma Mahler’s Complete Songs; Sandström’s High Mass with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig under Herbert Blomstedt; and Stravinsky’s Mavra with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under Peter Eötvös.
Future highlights include Elgar's Sea Pictures and The Dream of Gerontius with Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Vladimir Ashkenazy, Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester under Riccardo Chailly and Die Walküre at Hamburg State Opera.
For more details please visit www.lillipaasikivi.com