Joonas Kokkonen

Joonas Kokkonen was born on November 13, 1921, in Iisalmi. After studying musicology and piano at the University of Helsinki and Sibelius Academy, he taught composition at the Sibelius Academy and was elected to the prestigious Academy of Finland in 1963.

Kokkonen developed an organic, free-tonal style marked by profound counterpoint and human warmth. His opera Viimeiset kiusaukset (The Last Temptations, 1975), depicting the dying delirium and spiritual torment of 19th-century lay preacher Paavo Ruotsalainen, became an international sensation, performed over 500 times by the Finnish National Opera at the Metropolitan Opera and across Europe. His home Villa Kokkonen was designed by Alvar Aalto.