Klaus Mäkelä chosen for Chicago Symphony Orchestra music director

[MishaK]

Bernstein first subbed for Bruno Walter in 1943, age 25. Toscanini conducted his first Aida at 18. Sacré bleu, these kids should not have been allowed near a podium.

Karajan was super young when he became MD in Aachen as well.

[(poco) Sforzando]

What is Hurwitz's view of Mäkelä? I searched the Classics Today website, but found nothing.

It's only in the videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RGU5uWRjfg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMZgqJZclJA

[MishaK]

A couple of things:

I heard Mäkelä live for the first time with the RCO on tour in Cologne this last December. Same program as the Kerstmatinee that can still be watched on streaming video over on the Avrotros website. That was easily one of the best concerts I have ever heard, with one of the most gripping, organically flowing Eroicas ever. That alone convinced me in terms of his talents. And all the interviews I have seen suggest that he is a thoughtful, serious and humble musician with exceptional people skills.

Re: being overcommitted, his contracts in Oslo and Paris will run out before he starts in Amsterdam and Chicago. A music directorship is a 12-14 week job. Many conductors have held two music directorships simultaneously, including Mäkelä's immediate RCO predecessor and two of his CSO predecessors. So I don't really see this being a problem. It seems he has said in some interview that he will curtail his guest conducting to just Berlin and maybe one other orchestra. So that seems like a very manageable load.

With all the complaining about classical music "dying" and audiences shrinking, the critics seem to forget that the winning recipe in the past very much included personality hype, a bit of showmanship, the social allure of being seen at concerts with top performers, and just the plain entertainment effect. Sober serious, ascetic musicianship alone simply doesn't pay the bills. An orchestra of the caliber of the CSO, besides needing someone with top musical skills, also needs someone with that star power to both fill seats and draw donations and sell out international tours. There are very very few conductors who fit that bill AND are of an age that the investment will still bear fruit two decades from now. From all these considerations this is a shrewd choice for the CSO (and once again shows that they can attract the sort of talent that e.g. NY or LA or SF still can't).

Lastly, re: the opinions of musicians, I have uniformly heard from musicians I know that they have been floored by his musicianship. Here is an example from a CSO violist: https://slippedisc.com/2022/04/chicago-lands-a-dream-conductor/
I would think the CSO musicians are quite happy with this result.

Addendum to my prior post which is now before the page break, here is an article in the Trib with lots of quotes from the musicians.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/04/02/cso-appoints-klaus-makela-as-the-youngest-music-director-in-the-orchestras-history/#luitoyc68p89nejm0w6

"After the 2021-22 season, the search committee circulated surveys to CSO musicians asking which conductors, of recent guest appearances, ought to be in the running for music director. Buchman says a "supermajority," across instrumental groups, nominated Mäkelä based on his singular appearance with the orchestra.

"One of the questions we asked on (that) survey was, 'List, in order, the top three candidates you think we should be considering for music director.'... One person returned the form as, 1. Klaus Mäkelä, 2. Klaus Mäkelä, 3. Klaus Mäkelä," Buchman says."

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

"One of the questions we asked on (that) survey was, 'List, in order, the top three candidates you think we should be considering for music director.'... One person returned the form as, 1. Klaus Mäkelä, 2. Klaus Mäkelä, 3. Klaus Mäkelä," Buchman says."

Some articles and gossip that I read suggested Jakub Hrůša was a front-runner, as he has guest-conducted over the past few years and got good reviews. I wonder how he did in final voting.

[MishaK]

I still haven't managed to hear Hrůša live myself. I heard positive reactions about him from the general Chicago musicians orbit. But I have not heard this sort of glowing enthusiasm. Some were quite enthusiastic about Thielemann after his Bruckner 8 guest appearance as well (much to my dismay, TBH).

[Roasted Swan]

One of the great joys of music is the fact it is reborn with every new performer - for good or ill!  CM desperately NEEDS new, talented, persuasive performers to connect with their own age group to prove that CM can be relevant for every generation.  The young lion Mehta's or Tilson-Thomas's or Rattle's have all become the patrician conductors of the present.  Along the way there are bound to be some performers whose careers turn out to be brief shooting-stars rather than those decades-long.  Only time will tell if Makela is the former or latter but if he generates interest and discussion along the way then good for him.

[(poco) Sforzando]

Lest you think David Hurwitz's attitude towards Mäkelä isn't informed by some degree of personal vindictiveness:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh3lWkEsFH8

[Todd]

Some people on this forum think about David Hurwitz way too much.

[(poco) Sforzando]

Some people on this forum think about David Hurwitz way too much.

Thank you for letting us know.

[Todd]

Thank you for letting us know.

You are very welcome.  Think of it as a much-needed public service.

[MishaK]

Lest you think David Hurwitz's attitude towards Mäkelä isn't informed by some degree of personal vindictiveness:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh3lWkEsFH8

I'm not going to dignify his "old man yelling at clouds" youtube channel with another click. What's the TL/DR on the personal animus you reference?

[DavidW]

I'm not going to dignify his "old man yelling at clouds" youtube channel with another click. What's the TL/DR on the personal animus you reference?

Exactly what I thought.  It is probably like a half hour rant too, and I definitely don't have enough interest to see what DH has say about a conductor I've never heard before.

[(poco) Sforzando]

I'm not going to dignify his "old man yelling at clouds" youtube channel with another click. What's the TL/DR on the personal animus you reference?

I had to look up TL/DR, but should be enough to say he titles the video by calling K.M. a "Ken Doll."

[Karl Henning]

I had to look up TL/DR, but should be enough to say he titles the video by calling K.M. a "Ken Doll."

Characteristically sober critique, then.

[DavidW]

Interview about the appointment:

Out of curiousity I'll probably look up some of his recordings.

[DavidW]

I had to look up TL/DR, but should be enough to say he titles the video by calling K.M. a "Ken Doll."

Ah he envies his youth then.

[Wanderer]

Maybe the issue for some of those criticising the news is that, unlike Vienna, Berlin, London or Paris, Chicago is *too important* a place to share a conductor. That, and all the other eminently perceptive (too young! not a woman!) ageist and sexist "reasons" already mentioned. 

Personally, I've liked most of what I've heard from him so far - others more, others less. He's never less than insightful. His Sibelius cycle is very good. His Shostakovich 7 from Frankfurt makes the work sound (even) better than it actually is. I might get the chance to see him in concert in the coming year, too.

What has been a surprise in all this is the stance taken by Alex Ross, whom I used to hold in some esteem.

[Roasted Swan]

The simple fact is musical history is littered with the appointment of 'young' conductors to major orchestras.  Some prove to be blazing triumphs and herald great careers some fall by the wayside.  But the same applies in just about every industry and workplace. 

I suspect there is some kind of artistic "sweet spot" for conductors where the brilliance of youth is tempered with a degree of insight and experience.  For example with Rattle/Mehta/Muti - 3 conductors who had very high profile jobs when 'young' - with ALL of them my favourite recordings are from their earlier years when they had musical fire in their bellies, the talent to back it up but a few years of expereince about what really works on the podium as well.

[Brian]

What has been a surprise in all this is the stance taken by Alex Ross, whom I used to hold in some esteem.

Has anyone posted this yet? I'm not sure I saw his opinion.

[brewski]

Has anyone posted this yet? I'm not sure I saw his opinion.

Here you go. (No paywall that I can see.)

-Bruce