He won’t become chief until 2027, but Klaus Mäkelä is already making his markon the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Who is the young Finn who makes orchestras andhalls swoon?
Guido van OorschotDecember 13, 202213:36
‘Haha’, laughed Klaus Mäkelä in December 2020. The Finnish conductor, then 24,had at home in Helsinki de Volkskrant on the line. Two days earlier he hadbeen called by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Sick conductor, could Klaustake over the Christmas matinee? Sure, please!
And then we tried to lure him out by asking if he knew that the orchestra wasstill looking for a chief, after Daniele Gatti. ‘Haha’, laughed Mäkelä, ‘Ialready have two orchestras.’
Chef in Oslo and chef in Paris, that was already exceptional for a person inhis early twenties. And now look at him sitting in the catacombs of theAmsterdam Concertgebouw. It’s almost December and Klaus Mäkelä (26) receivesas the man in charge here. After giants such as Mengelberg, Haitink andJansons, he will become the eighth chief conductor in the history of the RoyalConcertgebouw Orchestra.
The press wrote: Broekie becomes boss of top orchestra. What happened?
Shortly after that Christmas matinee, the orchestra called again. It wasJanuary 2021, in the middle of corona time, I was sitting in front of aconcert stream in Paris. Jörgen van Rijen, the solo trombonist, said he wantedto ask me something on behalf of the group. Go ahead, I said. No, he preferredto do that live.’
Four months earlier, the Concertgebouw Orchestra had experienced Mäkelä forthe first time. Pandemic, everything was different, they wanted to take achance with that Finn. They smelled the talent right away. Bright blow.Natural leadership. Inspirational take on the First Symphony by JeanSibelius.
So Van Rijen and a colleague went on a secret mission to Paris. There was adraconian lockdown. The only way to meet Mäkelä was to book a room at hishotel. ‘The Ritz, on the Place Vendôme. One night they knocked. The orchestrahas voted, they said. Klaus, do you want to be our new chef?’
And then you said: sorry, I already have two orchestras.
“I felt very honored to begin with. Then I said, it may not be impossible, butit will be a complicated puzzle. Then we opened a bottle of wine and had apleasant evening.’
That’s how it always goes: Klaus on the goat, orchestra in a swoon. The firstto see the nugget was Jorma Panula, the Finnish master of first-classconductors. He took Mäkelä under his wing at the age of 12, extremely young,and delivered him at 18, ready for the job. Both in Oslo and Paris, theorchestras pushed a contract under his nose after the first meeting.
Putting together the puzzle with the Concertgebouw Orchestra took more than ayear. In the end, a magic formula offered the way out: as of this seasonMäkelä is ‘artistic partner’, in 2027 he will move on as chef.
‘I really wanted to finish my contracts in Oslo and Paris. But honestly, itfeels like I’m already a chef in Amsterdam. I think along about repertoire,join auditions. I come more often every year, so that we can work towards 2027in a nice crescendo.’
Klaus Mäkelä conducts the Concertgebouw Orchestra at the Royal Concertgebouwin Amsterdam.Figurine Els Zweerink
What attracts you to the Concertgebouw Orchestra?
‘The sound! Some orchestras have a warm sound, others a transparent one. TheConcertgebouw Orchestra sounds warm and transparent at the same time. I findit irresistible.’
So you won’t mess with that.
‘Anyway. There is room for improvement in every orchestra, also here. I wantto keep the famous tradition, but at the same time develop it further. I’mgoing to carefully tinker with intensity and color, so that the stock becomeseven richer.’
He calls himself a sound tourist. He picks up a bit of sound from manyorchestras where Mäkelä guest conducts. “After my first rehearsal in Cleveland(an American top-5 orchestra, ed. ) I was upset for a few days. I had neverheard such a silky soft string sound. When I come to Vienna or Prague, Iremember other sonorities. That’s how a nice collection grows.’
End of November, morning rehearsal, it Requiem from Mozart. Klaus Mäkeläzigzags across the stage, strikes up a chat here, pats one’s shoulder there.He steps onto the conductor’s platform and says, “Before we begin, may I havea round of applause for our four vocal soloists?”
The Mozart session is purposeful and friendly. Mäkelä draws on an arsenal ofencouraging signals. Thumbs up. ‘Bravo.’ Wink. “Very good.” His instructionsare concrete and short. ‘Please turn it down here, I don’t want the soloiststo force themselves.’
You seem to enjoy rehearsing.
‘In fact, I love it. Concerts are fun, but you do the substantive work at arehearsal. Trying out ideas, putting sounds together, it remains a fascinatingprocess. I will also never show up at a rehearsal with a ready-made vision. Iwant to work as a musician among musicians. Maybe the flautist has a betteridea.’
Are you never irritated?
“I hate it when I have to say something twice. This usually indicates a lackof concentration. But it’s up to the conductor to keep an orchestra’s energyup. Don’t talk too much; don’t spend too much time leafing through yourscore.’
Klaus Mäkelä conducts the Concertgebouw Orchestra at the Royal Concertgebouwin Amsterdam.Figurine Els Zweerink
Do you still notice a Gatti trauma in Amsterdam? The affair aboutinappropriate behavior in which he played the leading role split theConcertgebouw Orchestra at the time.
“I can’t compare the game then and now. The musicians tell me that the grouphas come out stronger. Like: if no one takes care of us, we take care ofourselves.’
In the meantime, the whole world depends on Klaus Mäkelä. Every orchestrawants to taste its kidneys. When he appears again in Amsterdam in mid-December, he is still steaming from his debut with the New York Philharmonic.Or take April next year: then Mäkelä will open new scores every week insuccessively Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin and Oslo – with his baptism of fire inBerlin with the orchestra of orchestras, the Berliner Philharmoniker.
When I look at your calendar, I get stuffy.
‘Fortunately I’m not the stress sensitive type. Traveling is sometimes tiring,but as soon as I’m in front of an orchestra, I feel the energy flowing.’
How do you prevent exhaustion?
Say no often. Sometimes it feels like a crime to pass up a famous orchestra.Then I say: please consider my no now as a future yes.’
I spoke to Jorma Panula, your teacher. He said: I hope Klaus takes time forhis inner self. Literature, art, he shouldn’t just wave.
‘I walk into a museum somewhere every week. Oslo has a huge Edvard Munchcollection. I love El Greco. Recently I walked around the Louvre for a fewhours.’
Will a Mr. or Mrs. Mäkelä also come along?
‘I’m not married, if that’s what you mean. The rest is private.’
Klaus Mäkelä conducts the Concertgebouw Orchestra at the Royal Concertgebouwin Amsterdam.Figurine Els Zweerink
Now about your three orchestras. How do you divide the repertoire?
‘As carefully as possible. I don’t want to be known as the man who conductsthe same music everywhere. I have a profile in my head for each orchestra,which makes it much clearer. In Oslo we now do a lot of Shostakovich. In Pariswe have just come out of a series around the Ballet Russes. In Amsterdam weare still in the exploratory phase. We’ve had the first Mahler, the Straussenand Bruckners are coming.’
And contemporary music?
‘I look forward to giving composition assignments. That’s an advantage ofhaving three permanent orchestras: you can share the costs.’
Do you also have Dutch composers in mind?
Ooh, touchy subject! Frankly, I don’t know much about it. I’ve already donesome browsing, but I still have to get serious about it.’