Klaus Mäkelä, a 26-year-old Finnish maestro on the rise, will become the next chief conductor of Amsterdam’s legendary Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the ensemble announced Friday, following a multi-year search following Daniele Gatti’s resignation over sexual assault charges. in 2018.
“It means a lot,” Mäkelä, who currently directs the Orchester de Paris and the Oslo Philharmonic, said at a press conference. “It’s great to have found this family of musicians. We really share the same ambition and passion.”
Due to Mäkelä’s existing positions, he will assume the title of artistic partner at the Concertgebouw from this autumn, with a commitment of five weeks per season, and not fully on stage as chief conductor until 2027 – then he will appear with the group for a minimum of 12 weeks. His first contract is for 10 years in total.
“For me, artistically speaking, it’s always the best result,” he said, referring obliquely to Paris and Oslo. “I appreciate my commitment to my two precious orchestras.”
Originally trained as a cellist, Mäkelä has quickly become not a critical sweetheart per se, but an institutional one. He has performed with some of the world’s best ensembles in ambitious repertoire – such as Mahler, and contemporary music by Peruvian-born composer Jimmy López — and will make his New York Philharmonic debut in December.
Its age is in stark contrast to that of the 133-year-old Concertgebouw, which in recent decades has been led by classical music greats such as Bernard Haitink and Mariss Jansons, but has also been in a state of instability since Jansons left in 2015. Gatti took the podium a year later, but was abruptly fired in 2018 following sexual assault allegations – which he denied, which were part of a spate of #MeToo-related layoffs in the field, including James Levine and Charles Dutoit.
Since then, the Concertgebouw has been led by guest conductors, who inevitably attracted speculation and critical eye. British maestro Daniel Harding picked up Gatti’s US tour dates, an engagement that was seen as a kind of road test. And this season, Ivan Fischer began his tenure as the orchestra’s guest conductor of honor.
Jörgen van Rijen, first trombone of the Concertgebouw, said in the press conference that the ensemble “took our time” in its search. “It was necessary,” he added. “It was a moment for an orchestra like us to sit back and think about what we want for the future and who we want to do it with.”
Mäkelä said he hoped his initial five-week commitment would increase over time, and that he would begin conducting opera “as soon as schedule permits”. (The Concertgebouw is a partner ensemble of Dutch National Opera.) He said he was also eager to start recording, to participate in an extensive, well-respected catalog of albums the group has released over the years.
“This is truly an extraordinary orchestra and nothing beats this,” said Mäkelä. “There are too many qualities to begin with, but I’m a sound-oriented conductor, and this orchestra – once you hear it, you don’t forget it.”