Klaus Mäkelä Wiener Phil­har­moniker Mahler 6. Sinfonie

Wiener Philharmoniker | Klaus Mäkelä

28-year-old Klaus Mäkelä, already chief conductor of four orchestras, has been invited by the Vienna Philharmonic. His debut tour with them includes a stop in Cologne, featuring Mahler's 6th Symphony. This powerful masterpiece, while tragic, allows for indulgence in beauty and combines otherworldly devotion with a longing for hymnic transfiguration.

Klaus Mäkelä Royal Concert­gebouw Orches­tra Mahler 1. Sinfonie

28-year-old Klaus Mäkelä will become the new chief conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam in 2027. The orchestra expressed unanimous excitement about the appointment. Mäkelä, known for his interpretations of Mahler, will conduct Mahler's Symphony No. 1, along with Schoenberg's "Verklärte Nacht", at the Philharmonie Essen. A post-concert talk and performance featuring Mäkelä and orchestra members will follow.

Vriendenrepetitie: Klaus Mäkelä conducts Mahler

Only members of Concertvrienden can visit this rehearsal. More information on Concertvrienden.When Gustav Mahler came to Amsterdam to conduct the Dutch premiere of his First Symphony in 1903, a close collaboration started – so began the Concertgebouw Orchestra’s much-vaunted Mahler tradition. Klaus Mäkelä steps into that tradition with respect and self-confidence. He previously gave stunning interpretations of the Sixth and the Third, now it is time for the First, which he calls Mahler's 'pastoral’ symphony: ‘I’ve always been attracted to its imaginative beauty, and its freshness. The expression is extremely clear, and it contains all the elements of his later work.’Klaus Mäkelä opens the concert with Verklärte Nacht by Mahler's contemporary Arnold Schoenberg, who was born 150 years ago in Vienna. The late-romantic work is based on a poem by Richard Dehmel about a woman who confesses to her loved one that she is carrying someone else’s child. The music closely follows the conversation and draws the listener into an intimate emotional journey leading from fear and guilt to pure happiness.

Klaus Mäkelä

Entrée-Essentials: Mahler with Klaus Mäkelä

The Essentials series introduces you to the masterpieces you will be happy to know, performed by the world-famous Concertgebouw Orchestra and complete with a lively introduction by the incomparable Thomas Vanderveken. At Essentials we welcome a new generation of music lovers, and the concerts typically have a pleasant informal atmosphere.A Mahler symphony performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by its artistic partner Klaus Mäkelä is a downright sensation! When Gustav Mahler came to Amsterdam to conduct the Dutch premiere of his First Symphony in 1903, a close collaboration started – so began the Concertgebouw Orchestra’s much-vaunted Mahler tradition. Klaus Mäkelä steps into that tradition with respect and self-confidence. He previously gave stunning interpretations of the Sixth and the Third, now it is time for the First, which he calls Mahler's 'pastoral’ symphony: ‘I’ve always been attracted to its imaginative beauty, and its freshness. The expression is extremely clear, and it contains all the elements of his later work.’Essentials starts at 9 p.m. with an imaginative introduction to the programme (in Dutch).

Klaus Mäkelä conducts the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Mahler

When Gustav Mahler came to Amsterdam to conduct the Dutch premiere of his First Symphony in 1903, a close collaboration started – so began the Concertgebouw Orchestra’s much-vaunted Mahler tradition. Klaus Mäkelä steps into that tradition with respect and self-confidence. He previously gave stunning interpretations of the Sixth and the Third, now it is time for the First, which he calls Mahler's 'pastoral’ symphony: ‘I’ve always been attracted to its imaginative beauty, and its freshness. The expression is extremely clear, and it contains all the elements of his later work.’Klaus Mäkelä opens the concert with Verklärte Nacht by Mahler's contemporary Arnold Schoenberg, who was born 150 years ago in Vienna. The late-romantic work is based on a poem by Richard Dehmel about a woman who confesses to her loved one that she is carrying someone else’s child. The music closely follows the conversation and draws the listener into an intimate emotional journey leading from fear and guilt to pure happiness.

Orchestre de Paris / Wiener Singverein / Klaus Mäkelä

The Orchestre de Paris and its music director Klaus Mäkelä bring the flair of early 20th century Paris to Hamburg. They explore the tension between Impressionism and Modernism with works by Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Igor Stravinsky. Debussy and Ravel are the figureheads of musical Impressionist music – their works are marked by ingenious orchestration and shimmering tone colour. Debussy found inspiration for his »Nocturnes«, in which the Vienna Singverein makes an appearance, in Impressionist painting. Ravel, on the other hand, combined Baroque dances with his own style in »Le tombeau de Couperin«. »Le sacre du printemps» triggered one of the most famous performance scandals in music history. The time was not yet ripe for Stravinsky’s pounding rhythms and sharp sounds, which he used to depict a pagan sacrificial ritual. Today »The Rite of Spring« is one of the most frequently performed works in the orchestral repertoire.

Klaus Mäkelä Dmitri Shostakovich

“It was immediately clear that this first symphony by Shostakovich was the living, individual and striking work of a composer with an original approach,” said Nikolai Malko, who conducted the Leningrad premiere of Shostakovich’ Symphony No. 1.Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) celebrated the 12 May 1926, the day he heard his own symphony in the concert hall, as his second birthday. The symphony was a huge success and soon gained international recognition—the year after, the Berlin Philharmonic played it.One can hear glimpses of sources of inspiration such as Mahler and Stravinsky in the symphony, but it is a new and unmistakable composer’s voice that shines through with strong contrasts, beautiful parts, violent outbursts, humor, grotesque whimsy, and, in all things, sparkling craftsmanship.“I don't myself quite know why the quotations are there, but I could not, could not, not include them,” Shostakovich told his friend Isaak Gliman about the quotes in his Symphony No. 15. The symphony is a cornucopia of references both to the history of music and to the composer’s own work.Shostakovich wrote Symphony No. 15 in the summer of 1971. During the 45 years since his first symphony, the Soviet government had made his life difficult for periods. Towards the end of his life, he often spoke cautiously and ambiguously, even about his own music. Shostakovich has described his first movement as a toy shop with memories from childhood, a protest against death. The third movement is brisk and moody, while the first, second, and fourth movements have a more melancholic and introspective feel, like a wistful farewell to the symphonies.

Mahler Festival: Concertgebouworkest and Klaus Mäkelä - Mahler's Symphony No. 8

Klaus Mäkelä has been artistic partner of the Concertgebouw Orchestra since 2022 and will become chief conductor in 2027. Earlier in this festival, he already conducted the First Symphony, today the Eighth. The Concertgebouw Orchestra shares the stage with no fewer than four vocal ensembles: the National Radio Choir, Laurens Symphonic, the Choeur de l'Orchestre de Paris and the National Children's Choir.Mahler wrote to his friend Willem Mengelberg that his Eighth Symphony was his greatest work ever. 'All the other symphonies were anticipating this.' Moreover, he experienced it as if the piece of music was dictated to him in a vision. In two monumental movements, Mahler says he sings of the entire universe. 'There are no longer human voices sounding. They are planets and suns, revolving in their orbits.' Practically speaking, it is also a rather voluminous work. Mahler did often need very many performers, and in this Mahler's 'symphony of a thousand', there are close to four hundred. Or more: in 1912, Mengelberg conducted a version with two thousand musicians and singers.

Mahler Festival: Concertgebouworkest and Klaus Mäkelä - Mahler's Symphony No. 8

Klaus Mäkelä has been artistic partner of the Concertgebouw Orchestra since 2022 and will become chief conductor in 2027. Earlier in this festival, he already conducted the First Symphony, today the Eighth. The Concertgebouw Orchestra shares the stage with no fewer than four vocal ensembles: the National Radio Choir, Laurens Symphonic, the Choeur de l'Orchestre de Paris and the National Children's Choir.Mahler wrote to his friend Willem Mengelberg that his Eighth Symphony was his greatest work ever. 'All the other symphonies were anticipating this.' Moreover, he experienced it as if the piece of music was dictated to him in a vision. In two monumental movements, Mahler says he sings of the entire universe. 'There are no longer human voices sounding. They are planets and suns, revolving in their orbits.' Practically speaking, it is also a rather voluminous work. Mahler did often need very many performers, and in this Mahler's 'symphony of a thousand', there are close to four hundred. Or more: in 1912, Mengelberg conducted a version with two thousand musicians and singers.