Classical concerts featuring

Klaus Mäkelä

Klaus Mäkela and Janine Jansen: Bartók and Prokofiev

The SummerConcerts powered by VriendenLoterij presents two months of wonderful concerts, from classical to jazz and from pop to film music. Top musicians from the Netherlands and around the world bring you all your favourite classical pieces, as well as video game music and hits from Broadway musicals.We also present a host of young talent in our summer concerts, including youth orchestras from Greece, Australia and Cuba, and top young classical soloists. After many of the concerts, we offer a meet-and-greet with the artists in an informal setting, or an afterparty with DJ in the Entrance Hall. In one of the world’s finest concert halls, there’s something for everyone this summer at The Concertgebouw!

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.

Klaus Mäkelä Claude Debussy Igor Stravinsky Christian Sinding Edvard Grieg

Claude Debussy (1862–1918) write the tone poem Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, in English, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, in 1894, inspired by Stéphane Mallarmé’s poem The Afternoon of a Faun. The work would become one of his most famous and a milestone in music history.In 1909, the impresario Serge de Diaghilev founded the ballet company Ballets Russes. In the years before, Diaghilev had created great interest in Russian culture in Paris, and the ballet company became a sensation. The young Russian composer Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) was central to the success.In his fire ballet, The Firebird, offered sounds and rhythms the audience had never heard the likes of. It was a huge success at the premiere in 1910 and a breakthrough for the composer. The action is a combination of different stories from Russian folk poetry. Debussy also wrote music for the 1912 ballet Jeux (Games) for Ballets Russes. The action is set on a tennis court, and when the ball disappears in the twilight, a young man and two young women follow. The games continue outside of the court, with hide-and-seek, fights and embrace.Christian Sinding (1856–1941) got his big international breakthrough with the piano piece Frühlingsrauschen in 1897. Danse Orientale is from a collection of piano pieces from the year before, and the orchestral version, arranged by the brit Charlie Piper in 2010, is performed at this concert.Edvard Grieg (1843–1907) released in total 66 piano works under the title Lyric Pieces. Conductor Anton Seidl orchestrated four of the pieces in the fifth volume from 1891, and Grieg revised them before his death - including the terrific piece March of the Trolls.

Klaus Mäkelä conducts Richard Strauss’ “Alpine Symphony”

He is a rising star among conductors: Klaus Mäkelä is just 29 years old, and already chief conductor designate of Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Orchestra. With Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony, he will be able to open a magnificent panorama of sound. The work takes us through a day in the mountains, across flowery meadows, through thunderstorms and storms. Wolfgang Rihm also favours lush sounds in Transitus III. “I love the intricate web of orchestral possibilities,” says our Composer in Residence, who died in 2024, “the creation of states, and of transformations.”

Klaus Mäkelä conducts Richard Strauss’ “Alpine Symphony”

He is a rising star among conductors: Klaus Mäkelä is just 29 years old, and already chief conductor designate of Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Orchestra. With Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony, he will be able to open a magnificent panorama of sound. The work takes us through a day in the mountains, across flowery meadows, through thunderstorms and storms. Wolfgang Rihm also favours lush sounds in Transitus III. “I love the intricate web of orchestral possibilities,” says our Composer in Residence, who died in 2024, “the creation of states, and of transformations.”

Klaus Mäkelä conducts Richard Strauss’ “Alpine Symphony”

He is a rising star among conductors: Klaus Mäkelä is just 29 years old, and already chief conductor designate of Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Orchestra. With Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony, he will be able to open a magnificent panorama of sound. The work takes us through a day in the mountains, across flowery meadows, through thunderstorms and storms. Wolfgang Rihm also favours lush sounds in Transitus III. “I love the intricate web of orchestral possibilities,” says our Composer in Residence, who died in 2024, “the creation of states, and of transformations.”

Orchestre de Paris / Klaus Mäkelä

Yunchan Lim's galvanising virtuosity takes hold of Concerto No.4, the least performed of Rachmaninoff's concertos, but also the richest and most adventurous of the series. And, in response, we have the flamboyant grandeur of Saint-Saëns's Organ Symphony.

Orchestre de Paris / Klaus Mäkelä

Yunchan Lim's galvanising virtuosity takes hold of Concerto No.4, the least performed of Rachmaninoff's concertos, but also the richest and most adventurous of the series. And, in response, we have the flamboyant grandeur of Saint-Saëns's Organ Symphony.

Klaus Mäkela and Janine Jansen: Bartók and Prokofiev

The SummerConcerts powered by VriendenLoterij presents two months of wonderful concerts, from classical to jazz and from pop to film music. Top musicians from the Netherlands and around the world bring you all your favourite classical pieces, as well as video game music and hits from Broadway musicals.We also present a host of young talent in our summer concerts, including youth orchestras from Greece, Australia and Cuba, and top young classical soloists. After many of the concerts, we offer a meet-and-greet with the artists in an informal setting, or an afterparty with DJ in the Entrance Hall. In one of the world’s finest concert halls, there’s something for everyone this summer at The Concertgebouw!