We celebrate Kalevi Aho, one of Finland's leading contemporary composers, who turned 75 on Saturday, March 9th, with a playlist containing a selection of his most important works!

Kalevi Aho, who turned 75 in March 9th, is one of the most significant and versatile Finnish contemporary composers. He rose to the core of Finnish art music in the 1970s as a composer and has since gained fame both in Finland and internationally.

Kalevi Aho's extensive composition output includes five operas, eighteen symphonies, forty concertos and a large amount of other instrumental and vocal music for various ensembles and instruments.

In addition to his composing work, Kalevi Aho is also a prolific writer and actively participates in social debate. He is known as an uncompromising advocate of civility and culture, and he is concerned about the rise of militarism, racism and the power of money in the world. The same strong message can also be seen in some of his compositions.

Get to know Kalevi Aho's music on our Spotify playlist, embedded below this article.

Music Finland congratulates Kalevi Aho on his 75th anniversary!