Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen gets Grammy for recording of Kaija Saariaho’s opera

Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen received a 2025 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording, with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Adriana Mater, a work by the late Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho.

Adriana Mater was Saariaho’s second opera, and also her second opera to win a Grammy Award: The recording of Saariaho’s debut opera L’Amour de loin won the award for Best Opera Recording in 2011.

On February 2, 2025, Adriana Mater was also up for Best Contemporary Classical Composition. Salonen was also nominated for Best Orchestral Performance for the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird.

Another Finnish conductor, Susanna Mälkki, was also nominated for Best Orchestral Performance for the recording Jean Sibelius: Karelia Suite; Rakastava; Lemminkäinen Suite, performed by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.