Okko Kamu
Okko Kamu is a celebrated Finnish conductor known for his masterful interpretations of Scandinavian composers such as Sibelius, Berwald, and Sallinen. His discography contains over 100 recordings, and his style is often described as spontaneous, sensitive, and assured. He was born in Helsinki in 1946, and his father was a respected double bassist of the Helsinki Philharmonic. When he was just two years old, Kamu began receiving violin lessons from Väinö Arjava, who was a friend of his father, and concertmaster of the Helsinki Philharmonic. Four years later, he enrolled at the Sibelius Academy where he studied violin with Onni Suhonen. Around the age of ten, he became a member of the Helsinki Youth Orchestra, and he formed the Suhonen Quartet when he was 18. From 1966 to 1968 he performed as concertmaster with the Finnish National Opera Orchestra, and he also began to conduct. He was appointed the principal guest conductor of the Royal Swedish Opera in 1969, and he also won the Karajan conducting competition in Berlin. This led to appointments with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1971 to 1977, the Oslo Philharmonic from 1975 to 1979, and it was also around this time that he made his first recordings, which included the popular Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3. Kamu is also an authority on the music of Aulis Sallinen, and he conducted premieres of The Red Line, The King Goes Forth to France, and his second and third symphonies. Through the '80s and '90s he conducted the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Netherlands Royal Symphony Orchestra, and several other major ensembles, and he continued recording with a special emphasis on Scandinavian composers such as Berwald, Tor Aulin, and Adolf Lindblad. Kamu led the Lahti Symphony Orchestra from 2011 to 2016, and his two recordings of Berwald’s Symphonies both received the Diapason D’Or award. Following his successful tenure in Lahti, he conducted the Royal Danish Orchestra and Opera Chorus on the live recording Sibelius: The Tempest, released in 2022. Kamu remains active as a recording artist, guest conductor, and a member of the Swedish Royal Music Academy.
© RJ Lambert /TiVo
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3 Hymnes - Arias d'opéra
Soile Isokoski, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Okko Kamu
Vocale muziek (wereldlijk en religieus) - Released by Ondine on 4 sep. 2012
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Finnish Orchestral Favourites
Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Chamber Orchestra, Maarit Kirvessalo, Reino Kotaviita, Jorma Panula, Okko Kamu
Klassiek - Released by Naxos on 26 jan. 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Tempest, Op. 109, Act 1: No. 2, Miranda Is Lulled into Slumber
Royal Danish Orchestra, Okko Kamu
Klassiek - Released by Naxos on 4 nov. 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schnittke: Symphony No. 4 / Requiem
Uppsala Academic Chamber Choir, Stockholm Sinfonietta, Okko Kamu, Stefan Parkman
Klassiek - Released by BIS on 1 jan. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Swedish Orchestral Favourites, Vol. 1
Helsingborgs Symfoniorkester, Okko Kamu
Klassiek - Released by Naxos on 1 jan. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius: Complete Symphonies
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Okko Kamu
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius: The Symphonies
Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Okko Kamu
Klassiek - Released by BIS on 4 sep. 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2
Helsingborgs Symfoniorkester, Okko Kamu
Klassiek - Released by Naxos on 27 feb. 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius: Finlandia: Valse triste; Karelia Suite
The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Okko Kamu, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4 / Piano Concerto
Niklas Sivelov, Helsingborgs Symfoniorkester, Okko Kamu
Klassiek - Released by Naxos on 21 feb. 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius: The Tempest - The Bard - Tapiola
Klassiek - Released by BIS on 2 aug. 2011
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruch: Works for Violin & Orchestra
Ulf Wallin, Berlin Deutsches Symphony Orchestra, Okko Kamu
Klassiek - Released by BIS on 1 jul. 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Szymanowski: Symphony No. 2 - Bentzon: Pezzi sinfonici - Shostakovich: Bolt
Klassiek - Released by Classico on 1 mrt. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stenhammar: Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 23 - Grieg: Piano Concerto, Op. 16 & In Autumn, Op. 11
Marie Rørbech, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Okko Kamu
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 1 jan. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fagerlund & Aho: Bassoon Concertos
Bram van Sambeek, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Dima Slobodeniouk, Okko Kamu
Klassiek - Released by BIS on 7 okt. 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
20TH CENTURY MUSIC FOR FLUTE AND ORCHESTRA
Petri Alanko, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Okko Kamu
Klassiek - Released by Naxos on 1 apr. 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BRITTEN, B.: Piano Concerto / Soirees musicales / Matinees musicales (Gothoni, Kamu)
Ralf Gothóni, Helsingborgs Symfoniorkester, Okko Kamu
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 1 jan. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
SALLINEN: Works for String Orchestra (Complete)
Hanna Juutilainen, Mats Rondin, Finnish Chamber Orchestra, Okko Kamu
Klassiek - Released by Naxos on 1 jan. 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Svenska klassiska favoriter
Helsingborgs Symfoniorkester, Okko Kamu
Klassiek - Released by Naxos on 1 jan. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
SALLINEN, A.: Songs of Life and Death / The Iron Age Suite (Hynninen)
Jorma Hynninen, Opera Festival Chorus, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Okko Kamu
Vocale muziek (wereldlijk en religieus) - Released by Ondine on 1 jan. 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Levitation
Christoffer Sundqvist, Kullervo Kojo, Tommi Aalto, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hannu Lintu, Okko Kamu
Klassiek - Released by Alba on 10 apr. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo