The soaring 26-year-old Finnish maestro Klaus Mäkela has been announced to become the next chief conductor of Amsterdam’s famous Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra after several years of searching after Daniele Gatti’s dismissal. rice field. Allegations of sexual assault in 2018.
“It makes a lot of sense,” Mekera, who now heads the Orchester de Paris and the Oslo Philharmonic, said at a press conference. “It’s great to find this musician’s family. We really share the same ambitions and passions.”
Due to Mäkelä’s existing post, he has signed the Concertgebouw contract for the first 10 years, starting this fall with the title of Arts Partner and signing a five-week season contract. He will not take the podium completely as Principal Conductor until 2027, at which point he will be in the group for at least 12 weeks.
“For me, the best artistic result is always to commit,” he said, diagonally referring to Paris and Oslo. “I value our commitment to two dear orchestras.”
Originally trained as a cellist, Mekera soon became an institutional loved one rather than an important loved one. He has appeared in some of the world’s top ensembles with an ambitious repertoire, including contemporary music by Marler and Peruvian-born composer Jimmy. Lopez — and His New York Philharmonic debut During December.
His age contrasts with the 133-year-old Concertgebouw, which has been led by classical music celebrities such as Bernard Haitink and Mariss Jansons over the last few decades, since Jansons left in 2015. It is in an unstable state. Gatti took the podium a year later, but he was suddenly dismissed in 2018 following allegations of sexual assault. This was what he denied and was part of a wave of #MeToo-related firings in the field, such as James Levine and Charles Dutoit.
Since then, the Concertgebouw has been led by a guest conductor. The guest conductor inevitably caused speculation when scrutinized. British maestro Daniel Harding has picked up the dates for Gatti’s American tour. This is an engagement that was considered like a road test. And this season, Ivan Fischer has begun his term as Honorary Guest Conductor of the Orchestra.
The Concertgebouw’s main trombone, Jörgen van Rijen, said at a press conference that the ensemble “taken time” in its search. “It was necessary,” he added. “It was a moment when an orchestra like us sat down and thought about what we wanted to do in the future and with whom.”
Mäkelä said he hopes that the commitment for the first five weeks will increase over time and will begin conducting the opera “as soon as the schedule allows”. (The Concertgebouw is a partner ensemble of the Dutch National Opera.) He is also keen to start recording to participate in the catalog of the vast and respected albums that the group has released over the years. Said.
“This is a really great orchestra, there is no such thing,” Mäkelä said. “There are too many qualities to get started, but I’m a sound-oriented conductor and this orchestra. Once you hear it, you’ll never forget it.”