It’s been a busy few weeks for Klaus Mäkelä. First on tour with the Oslo Philharmonic. Then a quick soirée to the UK for the Rite of Spring with the London Symphony Orchestra before hopping back over the channel for tonight’s concert with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Lisa Batiashvili, followed by a tour to North American taking in New York’s Carnegie Hall. In the midst of all this activity, would his Rachmaninoff hit all the right notes? And would the Concertgebouw audience jump to their feet in rapturous applause as they did in 2010 for Mariss Janson before embarking on another North American tour, this time with young Dutch violinist, Janine Jansen in tow?
The programme
The premiere
All started well with Ellen Reid’s new commission, Body Cosmic which she describes as ‘a meditation of how the body creates life and gives birth’. Opening violin harmonics cleverly spawned an electronic dystopia, occasionally punctuated by a strangely consonant harp melody, akin to a baby’s lullaby. But with mutes removed, the unknown was unleashed, and the evolutionary waters literally broke before our eyes. Whilst Reid should be commended for skilfully creating such a highly programmatic work, this all seemed a little too real. Maybe that was the intention. Perhaps though, some things are best left unsaid…
The concerto
Descending those famous stairs in a stunning red skirt perfectly complementing the vibrant Concertgebouw carpet, Lisa Batiashvili swept onto the stage to perform Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto no. 2 in G minor. Harking from a period of transition, Prokofiev’s concerto charts his apprehension at facing firsthand the cultural oppression of Stalinist Russia after living in the US. It charts the move to a more lyrical tone as found in the ballet Romeo and Juliet written in the same year, 1935.
While the notoriously tricky opening five-beat-theme and incessant hammer-like passages never quite found the required icy-cold madness, the overt lyricism of the Andante, accompanied by pizzicato strings and clarinet, was a joy. Swash-buckling, jaunty rhythms in the Finale (complete with castanets) brought a smile. However, as was the case earlier, imprecise articulation meant that many of the intricate details were lost in the ether. An arrangement of J.S. Bach’s Ich ruf zu dir to finish saw a return to safe territory, and all was well.
Rachmaninoff’s Symphony no. 2 in E minor
The horn’s first chord: dark and threatening, saw all the tension of the first half melt away. Mäkelä’s long sweeping gestures ushered in a welcome intensity. At times he just stood, seemingly basking in the warmth of the sound before him, offering just the occasional gesture to add that extra-special something. The distinctive colours of the plaintive cor anglais; the warmth in the violins; the bass clarinet – searching, seeking; and the metallic muted horn. Timbres which in some performances remain hidden. The brass soared and wallowed in the sumptuous and resonant harmonies of Rachmaninoff’s baseline, intuitively building towards a monumental climax, full of terrifying horror, only for the plaintive cor anglais to return and cleanse the soul anew.
Bass trombonist – Martin Schippers, Solo tuba – Perry Hoogendijk, and Principal trumpet – Miro Petkov © Julian Breen
After a sprightly Allegro molto, the moment we had all been waiting for – the slow Adagio. There was definitely something in my eye… Mäkelä’s left hand gently caressed the woodwind solos with phrases so long, one dared not take a breath. This was the balm the world needs today. A gentle, suave and sophisticated reading which teased every last ounce of emotion from one of the most famous and well-loved works in the canon. The low double bass note taking us into the final climax and the desolate violas prolonged the magic.
To conclude…
Tight rhythms and a glorious string sound dominated the Finale. Mäkelä’s hugely exciting Rachmaninoff did hit all the right notes, and the audience jumped to their feet in approval, just as they had done all those years ago in the famous 2010 recording with Mariss Jansons. North America and Carnegie Hall are in for a treat.
Further listening
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This concert was reviewed in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, on Wednesday 13th November, 2024
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