Here was something truly special: a conductor who revelled in freshly imagining each sound.

The Times
Official Biography

Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä has held the position of Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic since 2020 and Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris since September 2021. He assumes the title of Chief Conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in September 2027 and in the same season commences as Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. An exclusive Decca Classics artist, he has recorded Stravinsky and Debussy Ballets Russes with Orchestre de Paris. With the Oslo Philhharmonic he has released the complete Sibelius Symphonies, and Sibelius and Prokofiev’s first Violin Concerto with Janine Jansen.

Coinciding with performances at the Salzburg Festival and Musikfest Berlin, Decca Classics released Klaus Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic’s new recording of Shostakovich Symphonies Nos 4, 5 and 6 in August 2024. Shostakovich then continues as a main composer focus in Mäkelä’s fifth season in Oslo, with performances of Symphonies Nos. 1, 11 and 15, whilst the music of Bartók threads through the autumn, with Divertimento and Concerto for Orchestra, works they also perform at the Vienna Musikverein and Hamburg Elbphilharmonie. Additional programme highlights include Andrew Norman’s Play; Anders Hillborg’s new Piano Concerto MAX with soloist Emanuel Ax, and Sibelius Lemminkäinen Suite.

With a focus on French composers and new works, Mäkelä’s fourth season with the Orchestre de Paris pays tribute to the anniversaries of both Ravel and Boulez and features music by Berlioz, Fauré, Debussy, Poulenc and Messiaen. New commissions see the premieres of Thierry Escaich’s Lux Aeterna and Charlotte Bray’s A Sky Too Small. In addition to the 10th anniversary celebrations at home in the Paris Philharmonie, they tour extensively, with summer performances at the BBC Proms and Lucerne Festivals, and guest performances across Europe. They complete the season by returning to Asia in June 2025.

Guest conducting engagements in the 2024/25 season include performances with the London Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra and Berliner Philharmoniker. Mäkelä also makes his first appearance with the Wiener Philharmoniker in Vienna and on tour. This season he is focus artist at the Vienna Musikverein, and Portrait Artist at the Essen Philharmonie and Brussels Bozar.

As a cellist Mäkelä partners with members of the Oslo Philharmonic and Orchestre de Paris for occasional programmes, and each summer he performs at the Verbier Festival.

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Upcoming Performances

Schedule

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paris philharmonie

Paris, France

Philharmonie

Orchestre de Paris

Charlotte Bray: A Sky Too Small – world premiere
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3
Hector Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique

Soloist: Mitsuko Uchida

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Vienna, Austria

Musikverein

Vienna Philharmonic

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 6

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Hamburg, Germany

Elbphilharmonie

Vienna Philharmonic on tour – Hamburg

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 6

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Latest Updates

News

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DECCA CLASSICS ANNOUNCES AUGUST RELEASE: SHOSTAKOVICH SYMPHONIES NOS. 4, 5 & 6 WITH THE OSLO PHILHARMONIC

Following their highly acclaimed cycle of the complete Sibelius symphonies, Decca Classics is thrilled to announce the release of Shostakovich Symphonies 4, 5, & 6 with Klaus Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic on 14 August 2024. To celebrate the release, the Oslo Philharmonic and Klaus Mäkelä launch their 5th season with a special {…}

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THE OSLO PHILHARMONIC ANNOUNCES 24/25 SEASON

The Oslo Philharmonic and Klaus Mäkelä commence their 5th season with a special concert in August, celebrating the release of their first recording in a new Shostakovich series for Decca Classics, featuring symphonies nos, 4, 5 and 6. The music of Shostakovich has been core to Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic’s programming from the start {…}

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Acclaims & Features

Press

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Concertgebouw Orchestra

"It was Hollywood-like pathos in an evening full of colour: the Concertgebouw Orchestra led by Klaus Mäkelä made pure music ... They conjured an evening of colour, starting with a premiere work by former composer in residence Ellen Reid ... But the greatest admiration really went to Rachmaninov's Second symphony. This tad underrated composer wrote great melodies in a warm {…}

London Symphony Orchestra

"The programme might have looked conventional on paper but there was nothing safe about Klaus Mäkelä’s debut with the London Symphony Orchestra ... From an impressionistic, hyper sensual opening (to The Rite of Spring), no detail was too small to escape his attention. The Games of the Rival Tribes erupted with a chilling ferocity while a surprisingly funky Procession of the Sage {…}
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Cleveland Orchestra

"Mahler that risks nothing is not worth hearing. Mahler that risks everything will almost certainly fall apart in performance and fail to deliver the composer’s insights. So, where is the right level of risk to be found? And does it extend beyond the stage? There is no question that Klaus Mäkelä’s reading of Mahler’s Symphony No.3 with the Cleveland Orchestra on this occasion {…}

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