Inside the Rehearsal Room with Klaus Mäkelä and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

‘That’s where the magic happens!’

Klaus Mäkelä, the twenty-seven-year-old Finnish conductor is very much the man of the moment. Much has been written about Mäkelä’s training and how he crafted his conducting skills from an early age under the guidance of Jorma Panula at the Sibelius Academy in Finland, where week after week students find themselves in front of an orchestra directing musicians of all ages and really honing their skills.

But the question remains: What skills are needed to reach the heady heights of the conducting world?

How do the best conductors in the world achieve their success?

Is it their personality, their immense musicality, their sheer drive. Or instead, their inspiring presence on the podium and their innate ability to create the magic on the night?

I joined Mäkelä and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra as they prepared for a concert with pianist, Yuja Wang, to find out more about Mäkelä’s leadership and conducting style.

What happens inside the rehearsal room to make performances with Klaus Mäkelä truly great?

A happy workplace

An overwhelming sense of calm descends upon the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam as Mäkelä descends those famous stairs on the dot of 9:30am, shakes hands with the leader and his desk partner, and off they go. This is a very happy and organised workplace. Mäkelä listens to his colleagues, many of whom possess decades of experience, and clearly values their opinions. In a Behind the Scenes interview with the Oslo Philharmonic, Mäkelä goes further. The role of a conductor he believes is not just to give the beat, but to create an illusion of freedom for the musician, something spiritual, something magical, which allows for those unplanned wow moments in the concert hall.

These moments, I learnt, are not just reserved for the concert, but come thick and fast in the rehearsal room. Before very long, a cor anglais solo with a stunning melancholic tone prompts a chorus of approval. This is a high achieving and very happy workplace.  Musicians feels appreciated for their talents and Mäkelä clearly enjoys the musical experience as much as the musicians themselves.

Preparation

Orchestral members and not just the conductor come to the workplace suitably prepared for the task ahead. No wrong notes. Not even a split note in sight. String bowings seem to be firmly in place with only minor adjustments. Discipline is tight.

With programmes agreed up to three years ahead of a concert date, Mäkelä has quite obviously used the time wisely and started mental preparations well in advance. Whilst musicians post videos practising certain passages in readiness for the rehearsal, it is clear to all that Mäkelä has spent the time gaining a deeper understanding of the composer’s intentions, not just an understanding of the work in its entirety, but he is very clear about how he wants a certain phrase to sound, or even just one note. He conducts mostly from memory, rarely looking down at the music, even memorising the rehearsal numbers. Quite a feat!

Effective use of time

Mäkelä’s rehearsals are efficient and effective. Speaking in English, conversations are direct and to the point and results are immediate. In a particularly tricky syncopated pizzicato cello passage taken at a ferocious speed, Mäkelä does allow the cellos a second chance to improve their ensemble. And then they swiftly move on!

This style of rehearsal is perfect when working with musicians of such a high calibre. These are musicians who are able to deliver even the smallest and seemingly insignificant change in texture or timbre in order to achieve that astonishing palette of colour which is so clear in this young conductor’s mind. But more importantly, musicians everywhere appreciate a fast and efficient pace of working. Musicians are there to make music and will play all the better for someone who understands this!

Non-verbal instructions

In the same vein, Mäkelä’s use of non-verbal instruction is most effective. Whilst many conductors might talk about how they would like a passage to be phrased, Mäkelä instead takes great care to articulate his thoughts using gestures, especially with his left-hand where his astounding ability to tease out the line by twisting and turning and opening his hand to indicate expression, creates a quite wonderful effect. This highly effective method gives total respect to the musician, in this case Katy Woolley the principal horn, who duly creates that wow moment. These gestures, now permanently etched on my memory, were quite unlike anything I have ever witnessed. No words were spoken. No words were even necessary. Mäkelä is truly a genius!

Careful listening

Mäkelä listens in a very real way to the musicians of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Not only does he listen to his colleagues, but he requires them to listen to each other: not just to hear each other, but to really listen and adjust their playing so they are in perfect harmony. Sections of the orchestra play as one. They breathe together and work as a complete unit responding intuitively to each other’s cues. At one point, Mäkelä fixes his gaze on the cellos while pointing at the horns who he wants the cellos to listen to. As the musicians adjust their sound, the balance and ensemble improves measurably. At other times, Mäkelä simply dons his baton and just lets the musicians play, with only the occasional nod of the head to articulate a breath.

Stylistic precision and attention to detail

Mäkelä spends considerable time defining and perfecting the minutest of details in order to enhance the bigger picture.

In the Ravel Piano Concerto for Left Hand, Mäkelä wants quite a percussive sound full of syncopated accents, and duly spends time articulating his thoughts on this aspect of the work. As before, words are not always necessary. Not only does he vocalise rhythmic snippets to draw attention to certain articulations in the score, but he also vocalises the quality of sound he wants then to produce.

This constant pursuit of stylistic integrity and the belief that each composer has an individual voice and sound world, one to be shared in the most authentic manner possible, is fundamental to a clear understanding of Mäkelä’s conducting style. In this rehearsal, the music of Debussy sounds very different to the Ravel: two composers with much in common – but the music could not be more different.

In a magical passage where an ethereal harp, solo cello and viola create a world full of sliding clarinets, horns and trumpets, Mäkelä gives great attention to the tempo of the string glissandi. Not only does he want the strings to go up and down the strings in unison, but he is specific about the speed he wants them to go up and down! He wants the strings to clearly articulate the pitch in the glissandi, so the audience can clearly hear this change as opposed to just a mass of random swirls. Some very detailed and specific rehearsal time. Quite wonderful!

So, what conclusions can we draw? 

Do these rehearsal techniques have a resonance in the wider world? Are they perhaps leadership skills, available to leaders everywhere?

Attending the rehearsal today was a privilege and inspiration. I witnessed a rehearsal room where respected professionals were gently nudged, always in a polite, courteous and non-confrontational manner, to look at things from a slightly different perspective. To create something new, something magical and yes, have the freedom to find that wow moment. As leaders of people, should we all strive to create this freedom for the people we work with, and create our own little piece of magic each and every day?

Essential viewing…

Mäkelä and the RCO in interview with Twan Huys in College Tour

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