Finnish on a high note

Norman Lebrecht on Music

THE BIGGEST NOISE TO BE HEARD in orchestral music is not the click and whirr of audience smartphones shooting TikTok clips in the slow movement. Nor is it the straining of CEOs shoving diversity, inclusion and equity monitors onto the payroll. No, folks, the really big noise in symphony halls is a beanpole Finn who finds himself, aged 28, at the head of four major orchestras, two of them world-beaters. Now how the Helsinki did that happen? Klaus Mäkelä (below) is a conductor and a cellist. Six years ago, he was hired as music director by the Oslo Philharmonic, two years later he added the Orchestre de Paris and in 2022 the Royal Concertgebouw of Amsterdam. Last month, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra inked his name on a million-plus dollar contract.…

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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, June 2024

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