The Christmas Day concert from Klaus Mäkelä and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra broadcast live on Dutch national television AVROTROS and NPO Klassiek radio on 25th December, not only put classical music at the heart of programming, but ensured that the entire Dutch nation had access to music of the highest quality on this festive day. Wow, what a treat!
The programme
And just when you thought that no-one could possibly have anything new to say in a performance of Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony along comes artistic partner and future chief conductor, Klaus Mäkelä who blew away the cobwebs with a spellbinding and highly dramatic performance. Mäkelä exquisitely captured the immense emotional range and contrasts required and the work sounded utterly fresh and contemporary. Desolation and pathos at the end of the second movement felt devastatingly real, especially when juxtaposed against the measured exuberance of the finale as the fugal passage weaved its way through the orchestra with great abandon. Intellectually assured and utterly convincing, Mäkelä left the audience in no doubt. This was most definitely his interpretation, and all were left much the richer for the experience.
The Christmas Day concert, televised annually and also available on Medici TV, is a fabulous showcase for the RCO who without exception, were on fine form. Highly attractive programming gave each instrumental section their own moment to shine. However, as is so often the case, principal French horn Katy Wolley stole the show. Articulation of one single note in Eroica’s first movement horn solo – the penultimate upbeat – lifted the performance to a different level. Pure class.
The soloist
Sharing the podium with the RCO was the equally amazing Chen Reiss. The music of Fanny Mendelssohn (Felix Mendelssohn’s sister) may be new to many, but in the hands of one of her most ardent advocates, the dramatic scene – Hero und Leander and concert aria – Infelice proved to be not only highly operatic in style but utterly engaging and remarkably attractive. Coupled with a highly detailed reading of Felix Mendelssohn’s Fingal’s Cave, the afternoon concert had something for all.
Fun fact!
For those eagle-eyed listeners out there who have perhaps listened to, or even played Fingal’s Cave and thought that something sounded a little different, you would be correct.
This performance featured one of four relatively new editions of the work edited by the late Christopher Hogwood – the ‘London’ version no 1. Differences include a few extra bars in the middle and as well towards the end of the piece, plus slightly different voicing for some of the lower string passages. The score pictured below can be seen on the podium if you look carefully!
Read more from Clare
Inside the Rehearsal Room with Klaus Mäkelä and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
The definition of love: Mäkelä conducts Mahler 3 at the Concertgebouw
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