Shostakovich Symphonies 4, 5 & 6 album review – NRK radio

“Terror, suffering and fantastic music. The Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra is off to a flying start with its ambitious recording project … The first album shows an orchestra and a conductor who are fully up to speed with the situation, and then some … In my opinion, Mäkelä succeeds best in the enigmatic Symphony No. 6 in B minor (1939), where Shostakovich breaks with all expectations of traditional and ‘edifying’ symphonic form. Mäkelä holds the long and desert-like first movement on a knife-edge, and manages to create a rare experience of almost total standstill, as if the music is hovering between life and death. At the same time, this is one of many movements in these three symphonies where several of the Oslo Philharmonic’s individual musicians stand out in exemplary fashion … Without exception, these are shaped insightfully and poignantly … The result is an album that I will be listening to more, while I eagerly await the continuation.”

***** NRK, Eystein Sandvik, 3 September 2024