Concertgebouw Orchestra on tour
“But how was the performance (of Bruckner Symphony No. 8) in the Great Hall of the Elbphilharmonie with the Concertgebouw Orchestra? To spoil it: an absolute triumph with standing ovations and cheering at the first bow. Under Mäkelä, the Dutch top orchestra proved that it still belongs to the world’s top, that Bruckner is still known like the back of his own hand, and that they had come up with a lot for this performance.”
Klassik.com, Dr. Aron Sayed, 12 February 2026
“Without compromising the clarity of the score, Mäkelä focuses on what Bruckner personally expressed in music. And he unfolds the possibilities of the vast ensemble into an overwhelming richness of nuance.”
Hamburger Abendblatt, Verena Fischer-Zernin, 12 February 2026
“If the transition from the final surge to silence is not existentially impactful, the performance misses its mark. Here, he hit the mark – with force. The outbursts before the coda resonated in the hall as a fortissimo block; Trumpets and horns took up the rhythm of the main theme, crowning the crescendo, before the “deathwatch clock,” as Bruckner called the quiet fading away afterward, began to tick resignedly. Precisely because the pathos had been played out with all its force beforehand, the quiet extinction gained that shattering significance that Bruckner’s “announcement of death” demands.”
General Anzeiger Bonn, Bernhard Hartmann, 11 February 2026
“The first thing to note is that the orchestra remains one of the best in the world … Armed with this fabulous instrument, Mäkelä revels in the sumptuous sounds of his ensemble, but also demonstrates an impressive mastery of the structure, which remains crystal clear even in the most complex passages.”
Diapason, Jean-Claude Hulot, 13 February 2026
“This was Bruckner in his purest form, absolutely magnificent in sound, intense, and beautiful in the long Adagio, the true test of this symphony for the conductor.”
Tageblatt, Alain Steffen, 13 February 2026
“The long-awaited Finale, which brilliantly crowns this monumental score, does not disappoint. To be more precise, after adopting a relatively restrained approach in the Adagio, Mäkelä unleashes his army of musicians, all their brilliance on display, to assault the audience. The contrast is striking, but it’s an old trick that Karajan used and abused in the last two decades of his long career, as he approached 70. Mäkelä is decidedly precocious in everything; he’s 40 years ahead of Karajan… So yes, the episodes follow one another in quick succession: roaring gallops, sumptuous fanfares, grandiose tutti passages, stirring the enthusiasm of the packed hall.”
Resmusica, Jean-Christophe Le Toquin, 10 February 2026
PROGRAMME AND VENUES
Bruckner: Symphony No. 8
HAMBURG ELBPHILHARMONIE – 11 February
KÖLN PHILHARMONIE – 10 February
PARIS PHILHARMONIE – 9 February
LUXEMBOURG PHILHARMONIE – 8 February
