His title has change into acquainted on classical releases and live performance programmes over the previous few years. And one latest launch from him earned a nomination on the 2023 BBC Music Journal Awards. He is additionally conducting on the 2023 BBC Proms.

However who’s Klaus Mäkelä? Learn on to seek out out extra concerning the fast-rising Finn…

Who’s Klaus Mäkelä?

Klaus Mäkelä is a younger Finnish conductor, who has already led some much-praised performances and recordings – the latter together with a set of the Sibelius symphonies, with the Oslo Philharmonic on Decca. There’s additionally been an thrilling account of Stravinsky‘s Ceremony of Spring and Firebird with Mäkelä’s different band, the Orchestre de Paris: you may learn our evaluation of that disc right here.

How previous is Klaus Mäkelä?

Mäkelä was born on 17 January 1996.

The place is Klaus Mäkelä from?

He’s from Finland, one among a formidable crop of gifted and thrilling Finnish conductors that additionally contains Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Tarmo Peltokoski, and BBC Music Journal Persona of the Yr Dalia Stasevska.

Then, from a barely older technology, there are Sakari Oramo, John Storgårds, Pekka Kuusisto, Hannu Lintu, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Osmo Vänskä… make no mistake, Finland does conductors properly!

Does Mäkelä come from a musical background?

Very a lot so. His father, Sami Mäkelä, is a cellist, and his mom Taru Myöhänen-Mäkelä a pianist. Klaus’s youthful sister Ellen Mäkelä is a dancer with the Ballets de Catalunya.

Which orchestras does Klaus Mäkelä conduct?

He is the present chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic, and music director of the Orchestre de Paris. In 2027, he’ll take up the place of chief conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, which we named as one of many finest orchestras on the planet.

What different orchestras and festivals has he led?

Mäkelä was the inventive director of Finland’s Turku Music Competition from 2018 to 2022.

Klaus Mäkelä: really helpful recording

Sibelius: the symphonies and so forth

Oslo Symphony Orchestra / Klaus Mäkelä
Decca 485 2256

Mäkelä’s cycle of the seven great symphonies by his fellow Finn Sibelius earned a nomination for Finest Orchestral Album within the 2023 BBC Music Journal Awards.

From our evaluation: ‘Mäkelä avoids a uniform method to the seven masterpieces (…) The primary two have house and grandeur when wanted, and a few surprisingly sluggish tempos held up by depth, element and a way of the larger image, but additionally eager ahead motion at very important factors (…) Additionally on the very prime of the tree is that this Fifth Symphony (…) Tapiola, proper from the opening urgency by way of the introspective thriller of the center to the terrifying storm, is peerless.’