Oslo Philharmonic – Sibelius cycle at Konzerthaus Wien
“None of the seven Sibelius symphonies has been performed more than 20 times in the Konzerthaus, the Sixth only twice. After this moving evening it became clear: we are neglecting one of the great symphonists of the 20th century.”
Die Presse, Dávid Gajdos, 22 May 2022
“The occasion was a precious opportunity to deepen Mäkelä’s vision of Sibelius and the result not only did not disappoint expectations, but far exceeded them. Compared to the recording, the live performance takes both the coherence of Mäkelä’s reading and the effect on the audience to another level, fully convincing.”
Musica, Alessandro Tommasi, 30 May 2022
“Sibelius as a magnificent and fascinating sound experience in which one can simply immerse oneself. No staging, but rather an organic joining together. Music in a fascinating, delightful form!”
Kronen Zeitung, 25 May 2022
“In the middle part of the trilogy of performances, Mäkelä devoted himself to Symphonies Four and Two. In the opening movement of the Fourth, he already reveals what would be the (interpretational) concept that would run through everything: an extremely dense, tense atmosphere, the Finn carefully, lurkingly, concentrated and clear, always resisting the temptation to show off cheaply at the forte peaks.”
Wiener Zeitung, Michael Brommer, 23 May 2022
“Above all, with the help of a grandiose string section, which remains masterful and full of character, both in the silence and in the rakish lines, the fragmentary nature of the work (Symphony No. 4) acquires a quasi gloomy luminosity. Mäkelä controls the form, but without slowing down the expression. This precision, also in the developed poetry, dominates the second symphony, whereby its first movement shows that Mäkelä does not shy away from the opulent gesture and is capable of opening the floodgates to the exuberant.”
Der Standard, Ljubiša Tošic, 23 May 2022
” … in Klaus Mäkelä’s hands, this Fourth gripped, right from the fortissimo opening statement on cellos, double basses and bassoons … One felt the entire hall holding its collective breath.”
Bachtrack.com, Mark Pullinger, 23 May 2022
