Concertgebouw Orchestra -Mahler Festival

“In Amsterdam, everything reminds us of Mahler … But the soul of the festival is, of course, the Concertgebouw itself. Mahler found there not only a warm audience and an orchestra whose violins he found ‘as beautiful as in Vienna’, but also acoustics he considered ideal. That is why listening to his works today, in this magical hall and in a continuous series, is so natural. All the more so when his own orchestra plays. Because although the bill with top orchestras from Berlin, Chicago, Budapest and Tokyo is downright impressive, it is above all the honeyed and velvety sound of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, led with such naturalness by Klaus Mäkelä, that gives goosebumps. Mahler in Amsterdam: it really is a bit like Wagner in Bayreuth.”

Le Figaro, Christian Merlin 13 May 2025


“Mäkelä gave the woodwinds plenty of room to mould their sound against the backdrop of shimmering strings, and even when the cellos entered the first theme, the winds continued to reign. There followed marvellously naturally executed accelerations, gorgeous whisper-soft playing; the thunderous climax of the first movement felt deserved … The finale was an excellent guided tour come roller-coaster ride through one sublime musical landscape after another. How the high intensity of the opening section hinged reluctantly to a lyrical slow passage: you know that Mäkelä can shape such transitions like no other, yet his mastery remains amazing.”

NRC, Joep Stapel, 12 May 2025

“Mäkelä will of course be aware of his illustrious predecessors, but he confidently chooses his own path. His First is gentle and sympathetic, with the necessary blood-curdling moments. He benefits from a rhythmically disciplined and sensitively articulate orchestra that realises his vision. The Concertgebouw Orchestra simply ‘lives’ in Amsterdam, but we may never take its silky strings and superb (woodwinds) for granted.”

De Volkskrant, Jenny Camilleri, 12 May 2025


PROGRAMME:
Anders Hillborg: Hell Mountain (commission, world premiere)
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 1, Titan