Portrait photo of Klaus Mäkelä.
Klaus Mäkelä | Picture: Marco Borggreve

Concert information


Info

He is a rising star among conductors: Klaus Mäkelä is just 29 years old, and already chief conductor designate of Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Orchestra. With Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony, he will be able to open a magnificent panorama of sound. The work takes us through a day in the mountains, across flowery meadows, through thunderstorms and storms. Wolfgang Rihm also favours lush sounds in Transitus III. “I love the intricate web of orchestral possibilities,” says our Composer in Residence, who died in 2024, “the creation of states, and of transformations.”

 


Artists

Berliner Philharmoniker
Klaus Mäkelä conductor


Programme

Wolfgang Rihm
Transitus III

Programme note

Interval

Richard Strauss
Eine Alpensinfonie (An Alpine Symphony), op. 64

Programme note


Additional information

Duration ca. 2 hours and 15 minutes (incl. 20 minutes interval)



Main Auditorium

37 to 106 €

Introduction
19:15

Series K: Concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker


Main Auditorium

37 to 106 €

Introduction
18:15

Series H: Concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker


Main Auditorium

37 to 106 €

Introduction
18:15

Series E: Concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker

“Music is always human”
Composer in Residence Wolfgang Rihm in conversation

Video: Tobias Möller / Adam Janisch

“I want to call my Alpine Symphony the Antichrist”
An introduction

Der Palügletscher, Anton Hansch, um 1855 | Picture: www.plainpicture.com

A performance of Richard Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony is an event in every respect. But the composer was interested in more than just creating a musical mountain painting. 


Biography

Klaus Mäkelä

Klaus Mäkelä brings a glowing intensity and absolute focus to his concerts: “The most important thing in conducting,” he says, “is presence.” It’s no surprise that this rising star continues to attract attention with his electrifying performances and is regarded as one of the most sought-after conductors of his generation. Born in 1996, the Finnish conductor is Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic and Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris, as well as Chief Conductor Designate of both the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Mäkelä first studied cello at the Sibelius Academy in his hometown of Helsinki. As a soloist, he has performed with many leading orchestras, and as a chamber musician, he has appeared at festivals in Kuhmo, Naantali, and Verbier.

He studied conducting with the legendary Jorma Panula, who has guided many Finnish conducting talents to international success. By the age of 20, Mäkelä was already leading major Scandinavian orchestras, followed by invitations from across Europe, the United States, and Japan. His wide-ranging repertoire spans from Baroque to Classical, Romantic, and contemporary music. “What truly matters to me,” he says, “is stylistic precision: after all, each composer must be played differently.”