Classical concerts featuring

Klaus Mäkelä

Klaus Mäkelä and Janine Jansen with the Concertgebouw Orchestra

Conductor Klaus Mäkelä says that a concert is like a journey through time. The composers featured on this programme were clearly inspired by older music. Robert Schumann had just suffered a nervous breakdown when he wrote his Second Symphony, a work in which he documents his recovery and overtly draws on the music of Bach, Haydn and Beethoven.Benjamin Britten’s music, in which the influence of older English masters is always palpable, is also in dialogue with the past. His Violin Concerto juxtaposes tradition with present-day circumstances: the year was 1939, and the threat of war imminent. With her extraordinary aptitude for capturing mood and atmosphere, violinist Janine Jansen is the perfect interpreter.Klaus Mäkelä says, ‘In Schumann’s music I always feel an aspect of the past, tradition, history. Britten too admired tradition. We make a combination with works from the 17th century by Purcell and Dowland, to prepare the atmosphere of the later works by Britten and Schumann, which contain the past. I think the music benefits from it. The cathedral-like, almost sacred atmosphere of Dowland and Purcell enhances those aspects in Schumann and Britten, putting their works in a different light.’

Klaus Mäkelä and Janine Jansen with the Concertgebouw Orchestra

Conductor Klaus Mäkelä says that a concert is like a journey through time. The composers featured on this programme were clearly inspired by older music. Robert Schumann had just suffered a nervous breakdown when he wrote his Second Symphony, a work in which he documents his recovery and overtly draws on the music of Bach, Haydn and Beethoven.Benjamin Britten’s music, in which the influence of older English masters is always palpable, is also in dialogue with the past. His Violin Concerto juxtaposes tradition with present-day circumstances: the year was 1939, and the threat of war imminent. With her extraordinary aptitude for capturing mood and atmosphere, violinist Janine Jansen is the perfect interpreter.Klaus Mäkelä says, ‘In Schumann’s music I always feel an aspect of the past, tradition, history. Britten too admired tradition. We make a combination with works from the 17th century by Purcell and Dowland, to prepare the atmosphere of the later works by Britten and Schumann, which contain the past. I think the music benefits from it. The cathedral-like, almost sacred atmosphere of Dowland and Purcell enhances those aspects in Schumann and Britten, putting their works in a different light.’

Concertgebouw Orchestra Annual Gala with Klaus Mäkelä

The Concertgebouw Orchestra presents its festive Annual Gala concert for loyal audience members, friends, and donors. The Annual Gala starts with a reception at 19.30, and the fashionable after-party goes on until midnight.Dress code: black tie.Guests are welcomed to a reception at 19.30, after which they will be ushered into the Main Hall for a uniquely memorable conducted by our artistic partner and future chief conductor, Klaus Mäkelä. Leading violinist Janine Jansen performs as soloist in Britten’s deeply moving Violin Concerto, the work with which she made her Concertgebouw Orchestra debut twenty years ago.The Concerto is preceded on the programme by the royal funeral march by Britten’s predecessor Purcell. Another well-known English lament from long ago opens Schumann’s deceptively sunny Second Symphony. Like Britten’s music, Schumann’s is also in dialogue with the past. Klaus Mäkelä says, ‘A concert is a journey. The cathedral-like, almost sacred atmosphere of Purcell enhances those aspects in Schumann and Britten, putting their works in a different light.’After the concert, you are invited to partake in the tantalising follow-up programmes in the foyers of the Concertgebouw. There will be ample opportunity to mingle with other guests, the conductor, soloists, and choir and orchestra members until midnight.

Klaus Mäkelä Oslo Philharmonic Choir Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Kaija Saariaho

Of the more than 600 works written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), none is shrouded in more mystery than the Requiem, which was unfinished when he died. How much of the music did he write himself? Did he know who commissioned the work? Did he write a Mass for the dead for himself?The commission did not come from the composer Antonio Salieri, who is portrayed as the villain in the hit film Amadeus, but from Count Franz von Walsegg, who commissioned the piece to commemorate his recently deceased wife.Mozart only managed to complete the first movement, but left detailed instructions for his student, Franz Xaver Süssmayer, who finished the piece. Mozart’s Requiem is one of the composer’s most original pieces with great musical and emotional range.“There is no other music like it. Every show is refreshing and remarkable," the opera director Peter Sellars said about Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023). Saariaho is considered one of the greatest composers of our time and is regularly a part of the Oslo Philharmonic's program. Kaija Saariaho wrote the orchestral piece Orion for The Cleveland Orchestra in 2002. In Greek mythology, Orion is a human, the son of the sea god Poseidon, and a fearless hunter who is set as a constellation in the sky after his death.In the first movement, "Memento mori" ("remember the inevitability of death") develops a mystic introduction to a powerful outburst. The second movement, "Winter sky," is an atmospheric description of the starry sky, while the intense third movement, "Hunter," describes Orion's adventure as a hunter.

Classical Hour Klaus Mäkelä Dmitri Shostakovich

In 1955, Dmitri Shostakovich planned to write a symphony for the 50th anniversary of the Russian Revolution of 1905. Symphony No. 11 was not ready until the 40th anniversary of the 1917 Russian Revolution in 1957, but the symphony was still named “The Year 1905”.On the surface, the symphony is in line with the authorities’ view. Still, Shostakovich’s use of freedom songs from the prison gave many associations to current events: the composer is said to have suggested that the music was a response to the Soviet Union’s brutal invasion of Hungary in 1956.The symphony opens with the eerie atmosphere in front of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg on the eve of the revolution. The second movement describes the brutal massacre on “the bloody Sunday”. The third movement is based on a revolutionary mournful march, while the powerful final movement ambiguously celebrates the revolution’s future triumph.

Klaus Mäkelä Pyotr Tchaikovsky Dmitri Shostakovich

“I composed the Serenade from a natural impulse, something deep from within, and therefore I dare to believe that it is not free from containing something truly valuable,” Pyotr Tchaikovsky wrote to his supporter Nadezhda von Mack during the work with Serenade for Strings in the fall of 1880. When the piece was finished some weeks later, he wrote: “I just love this serenade so terribly, and long for it to see the light of day as soon as possible.” The wish came true - during a visit to Moscow, an orchestra surprised him by playing it at a private concert.The first movement is a tribute to Mozart, according to Tchaikovsky an imitation of his style. The second movement is a waltz reminiscent of the composer’s famous waltzes from The Nutcracker and The Swan Lake. After an elegiac third movement, he uses Russian folk tunes in the finale, “Tema russo.”In 1955, Dmitri Shostakovich planned to write a symphony for the 50th anniversary of the Russian Revolution of 1905. Symphony No. 11 was not ready until the 40th anniversary of the 1917 Russian Revolution in 1957, but the symphony was still named “The Year 1905”.On the surface, the symphony is in line with the authorities’ view. Still, Shostakovich’s use of freedom songs from the prison gave many associations to current events: the composer is said to have suggested that the music was a response to the Soviet Union’s brutal invasion of Hungary in 1956.The symphony opens with the eerie atmosphere in front of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg on the eve of the revolution. The second movement describes the brutal massacre on “the bloody Sunday”. The third movement is based on a revolutionary mournful march, while the powerful final movement ambiguously celebrates the revolution’s future triumph.

Orchestre de Paris / Klaus Mäkelä

In an invigorating contrast to Ravel’s miraculously delicate orchestration of Le Tombeau de Couperin and Ma mère l'Oye, the barbed rhythms and sparkling orchestral colours of Petrouchka complete a program conceived as as a true hymn to the orchestra.

Orchestre de Paris / Klaus Mäkelä

In a programme imagined as a true hymn to the orchestra, Le Sacre du printemps magnifies the telluric power of the orchestra in striking counterpoint to the miraculously delicate orchestration of Le Tombeau de Couperin and Ma mère l'Oye.

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.

Orchestre de Paris / Klaus Mäkelä

Klaus Mäkelä is a phenomenon. At the age of 28, the young Finn is already conducting the world’s great orchestras and has been working closely with the Orchestre de Paris for years. He has been Music Director of the top orchestra since 2021 – a time in which a very special relationship has developed between him and the musicians. The specially developed programmes are precisely tailored to the musical energy that Mäkelä and the Orchestre de Paris unleash together. For their concert in Hamburg, they will bring magnificent musical images by Maurice Ravel, Igor Stravinsky and Modest Mussorgsky to the Elbphilharmonie: fairytale-like and fantastic, timid and powerful – a programme that is not only made for the ears, but also for the inner eye.

Klaus Mäkelä Orchestre de Paris - Philharmonie "Bilder einer Ausstellung"

Klaus Mäkelä praises the Orchestre de Paris - Philharmonie for their musical intelligence and ability to achieve their goals. He describes their sound as brilliant and transparent. In his last concert in Essen, Mäkelä focuses on tonal diversity, beginning with Ravel's "Mother Goose" and ending with Mussorgsky. He trusts his musicians, following the advice of his teacher Jorma Panula.

Klaus Mäkelä & Orchestre de Paris: Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition

The Concertgebouw’s famous Main Hall is one of the best concert halls in the world, well-known for its exceptional acoustics and special atmosphere. In the Main Hall, you will feel history. Here, Gustav Mahler conducted his own compositions, as did Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky. Sergei Rachmaninoff played his own piano concertos in the Main Hall. This is also where musicians such as Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Horowitz and Yehudi Menuhin gave legendary performances. Right up to now, the Main Hall offers a stage to the world’s best orchestras and musicians. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Main Hall for yourself!

Orchestre de Paris | Klaus Mäkelä

The Orchestre de Paris, led by Klaus Mäkelä, presents an evening of legendary Ballets Russes music. The program includes Stravinsky's scandalous "The Rite of Spring" and the grotesque story of "Petrushka," along with Ravel's luminous "Le Tombeau de Couperin."

Klaus Mäkelä Emanuel Ax Jean Sibelius Anders Hillborg

“…vivacious, funny, heroic, eloquent, plain-spoken, thoughtful and wholly irresistible…This is a work in which constructive ingenuity and the pleasure principle walk arm in arm…” one reviewer wrote after the premiere of Anders Hillborg’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in the fall of 2023.Hillborg wrote the concerto for the pianist legend Emanuel “Manny” Ax, who is also tonight’s soloist with the Oslo Philharmonic. Hillborg writes about the subtitle The MAX Concert: “It suggests – in powerful ALL CAPS – the exuberance and genius of the outstanding pianist.”In the last few decades, Anders Hillborg (b. 1954) has become one of the most versatile and most-performed composers. He has written music for film and television and collaborated with pop artists like Eva Dahlgren. His orchestral pieces have a film score-like visual feel.Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) often found inspiration in the Finnish national epic Kalevala, and his music has almost become synonymous with Finnish nature and mythology. In the 1890s, he wrote four symphonic poems about Lemminkäinen, one of the most famous heroes in Kalevala. Lemminkäinen is a fearless adventurer and skirt-chaser, a sort of Finnish Don Juan. Lemminkäinen does not form a coherent narrative but independent episodes. Sibelius is more concerned with recreating the mood and atmosphere than telling a story.The second of the four symphonic poems in Lemminkäinen is the most famous and often performed as an independent work: Swan of Tuonela, in which Lemminkäinen meets the enigmatic swan guarding the realm of the dead. The swan is portrayed through a famous solo for English horn.

Klaus Mäkelä, Julian Rachlin and the Concertgebouw Orchestra

From the first notes, the Fourth Symphony carries us away into Schumann’s utterly original world of dark romanticism. ‘Robert Schumann is the romantic composer’, says conductor Klaus Mäkelä. ‘His symphonies contain such wonderful moments. It always makes me feel good to play them. His music fills your heart with joy and sadness – the emotions are very pure and honest. Schumann makes me happy; he makes me a better person.’His romantic musical language notwithstanding, Schumann was a great admirer of the early music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The famous Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina also shows her indebtedness to the Baroque master, as in her much-praised Offertorium.The concert opens with a newly commissioned work by the successful Korean Seung-Won Oh. The final piece of her Spiri trilogy, Spiri III ‘seeks to transform the transient nature of human affection, and expand and enhance it to the next level’, the composer says. ‘Rather than limiting the view of the flower blooming and withering to a local event, we can contextualize this minute event as the beginning of a perpetual cycle that can't be measured or truly experienced by humans.’

Klaus Mäkelä, Julian Rachlin and the Concertgebouw Orchestra

From the first notes, the Fourth Symphony carries us away into Schumann’s utterly original world of dark romanticism. ‘Robert Schumann is the romantic composer’, says conductor Klaus Mäkelä. ‘His symphonies contain such wonderful moments. It always makes me feel good to play them. His music fills your heart with joy and sadness – the emotions are very pure and honest. Schumann makes me happy; he makes me a better person.’His romantic musical language notwithstanding, Schumann was a great admirer of the early music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The famous Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina also shows her indebtedness to the Baroque master, as in her much-praised Offertorium.The concert opens with a newly commissioned work by the successful Korean Seung-Won Oh. The final piece of her Spiri trilogy, Spiri III ‘seeks to transform the transient nature of human affection, and expand and enhance it to the next level’, the composer says. ‘Rather than limiting the view of the flower blooming and withering to a local event, we can contextualize this minute event as the beginning of a perpetual cycle that can't be measured or truly experienced by humans.’

Klaus Mäkelä, Julian Rachlin and the Concertgebouw Orchestra

From the first notes, the Fourth Symphony carries us away into Schumann’s utterly original world of dark romanticism. ‘Robert Schumann is the romantic composer’, says conductor Klaus Mäkelä. ‘His symphonies contain such wonderful moments. It always makes me feel good to play them. His music fills your heart with joy and sadness – the emotions are very pure and honest. Schumann makes me happy; he makes me a better person.’His romantic musical language notwithstanding, Schumann was a great admirer of the early music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The famous Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina also shows her indebtedness to the Baroque master, as in her much-praised Offertorium.The concert opens with a newly commissioned work by the successful Korean Seung-Won Oh. The final piece of her Spiri trilogy, Spiri III ‘seeks to transform the transient nature of human affection, and expand and enhance it to the next level’, the composer says. ‘Rather than limiting the view of the flower blooming and withering to a local event, we can contextualize this minute event as the beginning of a perpetual cycle that can't be measured or truly experienced by humans.’

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / Julian Rachlin / Klaus Mäkelä

Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä doesn’t take up his post as chief conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra until 2027, but he is already working closely with the orchestra. At this concert, they perform Robert Schumann’s Fourth Symphony and Sofia Gubaidulina’s First Violin Concerto. The concert opens with a new piece by South Korean composer Seung Won-Oh. In 2023 Gubaidulina (*1931) was named the most frequently performed composer in the world by the online magazine Bachtrack. She experienced her international breakthrough in the 1980s with her Violin Concerto No. 1 »Offertorium«, in which she echoes Johann Sebastian Bach’s »Musical Offering«, her choice of title already pointing to a deep religious sense. Once premiered by master violinist Gidon Kremer, the renowned Austrian violinist Julian Rachlin has now been recruited for the solo part. Schumann’s Fourth Symphony was a birthday present for his beloved Clara and an affair of the heart for the composer. The recipient, herself a pianist and composer, was deeply moved by the symphony: »This is another work produced from the depths of the soul«.

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / Klaus Mäkelä

There are few orchestras that can boast as long a Mahler tradition as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra from Amsterdam. Even during Gustav Mahler’s lifetime, the orchestra regularly performed his symphonies and helped the composer achieve the fame he enjoys to this day. Klaus Mäkelä, who takes over as the orchestra’s chief conductor in 2027, continues this tradition with a performance of Mahler’s First Symphony. The composer wrote about his work: »It has become so overpowering – it flowed out of me like a mountain stream!« Also on the programme is Arnold Schönberg’s early work »Verklärte Nacht« for string orchestra, based on Richard Dehmel’s poem of the same name. Before Schönberg climbed to the top of the avant-garde and shocked the music world with his twelve-tone music, he wrote deeply Romantic pieces in his younger years, in which he endeavoured to unite the styles of Wagner and Brahms.

Johann Sebastian Bach / Messe en si

Powerful, syncretic if we take the Credo in its most universal sense, the Mass in B minor is one of the most profound and hermetic monuments in the history of music. As Cioran once cheekily opined, “If anyone owes everything to Bach, it's God!”

Johann Sebastian Bach / Messe en si

Powerful, syncretic if we take the Credo in its most universal sense, the Mass in B minor is one of the most profound and hermetic monuments in the history of music. As Cioran once cheekily opined, “If anyone owes everything to Bach, it's God!”

Easter Festival Baden-Baden 2025

Klaus Mäkelä & Concertgebouw Orchestra: Ravel, Bartók & Connesson

Klaus Mäkelä invites listeners to use their ears and eyes. Maurice Ravel, a master of ‘visual’ composition, could depict exotic settings and fairy-tale atmospheres with razor-sharp precision. In the rarely performed orchestral miniature Shéhérazade, we are transported to the world of The Thousand and One Nights. Ravel’s compatriot Guillaume Connesson is a contemporary sound wizard. His works sound almost cinematic, not least because of their highly refined orchestration. In addition to his recent oboe concerto, entitled Les belles heures, with Ivan Podyomov as soloist, the programme features the brand-new flute concerto he composed especially for the Concertgebouw Orchestra and its principal flautist Emily Beynon. It’s the perfect opportunity to discover for yourself why Connesson’s exciting music appeals to such a wide audience.The programme contrasts French sophistication with Hungarian horror by Béla Bartók. In The Miraculous Mandarin, Bartók managed to express in music the more primitive side of modern civilisation. This grim fairy tale sounds just as exciting – and alarming – as it did 100 years ago.

Klaus Mäkelä & Concertgebouw Orchestra: Ravel, Bartók & Connesson

Klaus Mäkelä invites listeners to use their ears and eyes. Maurice Ravel, a master of ‘visual’ composition, could depict exotic settings and fairy-tale atmospheres with razor-sharp precision. In the rarely performed orchestral miniature Shéhérazade, we are transported to the world of The Thousand and One Nights. Ravel’s compatriot Guillaume Connesson is a contemporary sound wizard. His works sound almost cinematic, not least because of their highly refined orchestration. In addition to his recent oboe concerto, entitled Les belles heures, with Ivan Podyomov as soloist, the programme features the brand-new flute concerto he composed especially for the Concertgebouw Orchestra and its principal flautist Emily Beynon. It’s the perfect opportunity to discover for yourself why Connesson’s exciting music appeals to such a wide audience.The programme contrasts French sophistication with Hungarian horror by Béla Bartók. In The Miraculous Mandarin, Bartók managed to express in music the more primitive side of modern civilisation. This grim fairy tale sounds just as exciting – and alarming – as it did 100 years ago.

Easter Festival Baden-Baden 2025

Mahler Festival: Concertgebouw Orchestra and Klaus Mäkelä - Mahler's Symphony No. 1

In 1903, Gustav Mahler conducted his own work with the Concertgebouw Orchestra for the first time. He was lyrical about orchestra, choirs and audience. 'The music culture in this country is astonishing! The way these people can listen.' Tonight, in the First Symphony, the ensemble is led by Klaus Mäkelä. He has been artistic partner of the Concertgebouw Orchestra since 2022 and will become chief conductor in 2027. In an interview, he said Mahler's work is probably the best first symphony ever. 'Fascinating how he manages to bring together sounds of nature, dances and childhood memories.'Stormy, lyrical and inventive: Mahler's First Symphony is one that hints forward to all that follows. Mahler arranged his First symphony several times. Central is a theme from one of the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. Spring dreams, peasant dances, a real storm, hunting scenes... they culminate in a triumphant finale. Swedish composer Anders Hillborg is writing a new work, the Dutch premiere of which you will hear today.

Mahler Festival: Concertgebouw Orchestra and Klaus Mäkelä - Mahler's Symphony No. 1

In 1903, Gustav Mahler conducted his own work with the Concertgebouw Orchestra for the first time. He was lyrical about orchestra, choirs and audience. 'The music culture in this country is astonishing! The way these people can listen.' Tonight, in the First Symphony, the ensemble is led by Klaus Mäkelä. He has been artistic partner of the Concertgebouw Orchestra since 2022 and will become chief conductor in 2027. In an interview, he said Mahler's work is probably the best first symphony ever. 'Fascinating how he manages to bring together sounds of nature, dances and childhood memories.'Stormy, lyrical and inventive: Mahler's First Symphony is one that hints forward to all that follows. Mahler arranged his First symphony several times. Central is a theme from one of the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. Spring dreams, peasant dances, a real storm, hunting scenes... they culminate in a triumphant finale. Swedish composer Anders Hillborg is writing a new work, the Dutch premiere of which you will hear today.

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.