Oslo Philharmonic

“The real stunners of Mäkelä’s typically generous and thoughtful programme-planning were the known quantities. You simply don’t play Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto if you’re not prepared to go deep and painful … and the sado-masochistic ballet-pantomime (Bartok’s Suite from the Miraculous Mandarin) can never have had a more blistering kick-off from strings in the opening cityscape; I’ll remember the impact of that attack, especially from the violas as long as I live.”

The Arts Desk, David Nice, 24 February 2022


“The Finnish conductor was extraordinarily narrative and the more violent passages contrasted ideally with the seduction scenes, where the woodwind soloists of the Norwegian orchestra shone in a state of grace. But Mäkelä was especially at his best in the final passage where he unleashed a wild erotic rampage on the orchestra that ultimately results in the Mandarin’s death.” 

El País, Pablo Rodriguez, 19 February 2022

Programme:
Jimmy López: Perú Negro
Dmitrij Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1
Kaija Saariaho: Vista
Béla Bartók: Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin
Soloist: Julian Rachlin