Klaus Mäkelä and the Cult of the Ken Doll
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- Опубликовано: 23 июл 2024
- Here it comes--the Cult of the Ken Doll: fans of conductor Klaus Mäkelä whose judgment is based on his stardom, and not on the quality of his music-making. We'll be keeping an eye on this phenomenon to see what develops.
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NIGHTS IN THE GARDENS OF SPAIN is one of my favorite works and hearing the Ken doll's attempt at directing it left me shaking my head. What a bombastic, tasteless mess! I'll take the old recording by Argenta with all its tape hiss, thank you.
The wonderful recording with pianist, Gonzalo Soriano. Magical.
@RogerBesst Thank you. . . Soriano and Argenta caught the mood beautifully-- Alicia de la Rocha's recording from the early eighties is also nice. The "Ken doll" sounded like he was trying to herd a bunch of cats. . . and failing miserably.
@@davidroyer5049 "Ken Doll" will continue to cast his spell over those who like a visual experience rather than hearing music as the composer intended. There are videos of this man conducting, and I keep thinking, as a musician, his mannerisms are very distracting, and does nothing for the music, but maybe the ladies like him.
I didn’t think his Petrushka could be as abysmal as you said… then I listened to it, and it was genuinely one of the most hilariously awful recordings I’ve ever heard. The Shrovetide Fair sounded as if it was conducted by a drunk Victor Borge-and I hate being that unfair to Borge. However, what I hate more is how Mäkelä is being imaged as this musical “Stupor Mundi.” Some sort of wunderkind who is so named simply because of the positions he’s accumulated. “But Dave, lOok aT tHe cAlibRe of oRcHesTrAs hE’s mADe sHiTTy rEcORdiNgs wiTh?!”
Ouch. But if the shoe fits. . .
I just checked it out too. It certainly doesn't seem to get out of second gear.
Spot on 💯
The rise of the Mäkelä is quite unbelievable. Where were his years of study, apprenticeship and repetiteur work spent? Maybe these things don't matter anymore in today's conducting world. I agree with every observation. His Sibelius is abysmal and having watched an excerpt of Klaus baby conducting the - in his case - aptly named Infernal Dance from Stravinsky's Firebird, which was a bizarre display of 'look at me, I'm brilliant' conducting gestures along with hair flying everywhere, on RUclips, I'd seen and heard enough. Of course, good old BBC Radio 3 were salivating over his Stravinsky recordings on a recent production of Record Review before it moved to its new sleepy Saturday afternoon time.
I saw him conducting Walton's Belshazzar's Feast at last year's BBC Proms on the telly, with a lamentably unsuitable Thomas Hampson as soloist, and was unmoved by his interpretation of one of the most exciting Oratorios in the repertoire. I guess if you just choose to conduct, or are programmed to conduct, works that have a big finish, you're bound to get the audience standing up at the end, cheering wildly; which is all a bit fake but will massage his ego and fill concert halls. The old 'conductor-eating' orchestras of the past would have enjoyed chewing Klaus baby up and spitting him out afterwards.
I have heard him conduct Bruckner and Mahler and it is hard to believe the RCO wants to sign him up for long term commitment. I don't use the word "vulgar" a lot, but his interpretations of Mahler's 2nd and 3rd were just that. I don't even want to talk about his Bruckner.
The hype is is just ridiculous!
I saw his Beethoven 9 in Paris a few nights ago. It was so bad. Of course, the audience gave him one of the biggest ovations I’ve ever witnessed. No way this guy is qualified for a top or even second tier orchestra. Avoid like death!
"Vulgar" is a harsh but apt way to put it. . . See my remark about his reading of NIGHTS IN THE GARDENS OF SPAIN.
I sampled KM's Stravinsky. How I didn't fall asleep is a feat of human endurance. Dull, dull, dull.
He has the singular ability of making professional orchestra sound like high school pick up gigs
I’m with you on this based on my listening of the recordings, and MOST of the videos floating around. Since I’ve not seen him live I can’t comment on that, but when I talk about this with my orchestral colleagues, most recently regarding the CSO appointment, they relate that their friends (in the CSO) are thrilled with it, and they love him, etc. Of course none of those mention listening to his recorded output to date. I’m left scratching my head until I HEAR something that lives up to the impressive resume of appointments he’s already piled up.
Yes, but what is it, exactly that they love? No orchestral player hears what a performance sounds like to audiences in the hall. They love working with him. That's not music. That's industrial relations.
@@DavesClassicalGuide yes of course, I’ve seen that at work many times. For instance, there’s the grouchy curmudgeon type who rehearses in great detail, and is very picky and demanding. Many players hate this, whilst the orchestra often delivers a wonderful performance. Or the super nice guy that lets them flail around any old way. Enjoyable for them , but not much for the critical listener. I think Mäkelä, so far, is one of the latter….he more often than not, follows the orchestra, rather than initiates what he would like to hear in advance.I think what I was trying to get at was there aren’t a ton of recording nerds among them, so they are unconcerned about his recorded output. And you were crystal clear about where you’re coming from. Time will tell?
@@DavesClassicalGuide Similar to a college student favors an easy A professor😜😜😜
@@DavesClassicalGuide They love to be treated as individuals. As such, some of the joy of music making that is usually assosicated with chamber music also comes to the symphony orchestra. This is his secret, and after watching him both live and on videos, I don't find this very difficult to see. For instance, have a look at yesterday's performance of Bruckner's symphony 5 with the Concertgebouw orchestera or Mendelssohns 3rd symphony with the Oslo philharmonic.
Orchestra players are able to judge whether a conductor has a competent grasp of the score, and whether he or she has basic ability in the art of conducting. I have been an orchestra player, and I have also listened as a spectator to my share of concerts and recordings. There is a relationship between what a player hears and sees onstage, and the results audiences hear.
Dave, you are a delightful writer and critic, and a master of the pithy phrase. But the fact that orchestra players do like Makela does mean something that you may be overlooking. You mention that there are some RUclips videos of Makela's work that may indicate that he has talent. I agree and can recommend one: he conducted the Oslo Phil. in Schumann's 2nd Symphony back in 2021, with no audience present (pandemic, etc.). It is one of the better renditions of that symphony that I have heard.
As you know, Robert Schumann's symphonic music can be difficult to balance properly--the orchestration does not just "play itself", and numerous conductors have attempted to modify the scoring to "help" Schumann in that aspect. I often find such "help" unconvincing. I'm pretty sure that Makela took the approach of paying careful attention to balances and dynamics, with little or no alteration to the score. In any case, the result was really fine--I could hear everything that was going on, with no sense of dilution of the music. In my book, a conductor who can do Schumann that well is someone to watch. But don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself.
Some time ago you said that every composer should have to do spring. Maybe we should extend this to conducters, so that we can hear if he is able to conduct a springish spring springishly.
You mean springalitically.
This is about Schumann no. 1 right? I just played it on tour with a student orchestra in Northern Italy.
I saw him conduct Beethoven’s Ninth this evening in Paris. There are sound elements-he has a very good rapport with the string section and understands the voice interplay there. But he needs to expand it more broadly. Woodwinds and brass seem foreign to him. In elements of the work where they are critical, this showed-they weren’t playing within the same vision of the work as the strings. The slow movement was, overall, a mess. And to me, that shows a lesser ability, for now, to shape, at a broad level and a detailed level, music where shape is a critical element. I will listen to my Fricsay later for the slow movement.
I find it incredibly astounding that both the Concertgebouw and Chicago Symphony orchestras are willing to wait for another three years to have Makela be their music director in 2027. And Decca has signed him to a 20-year recording contract
Sure you can fool them--or look at it this way, their priorities as workers are not the same as ours as listeners.
@@DavesClassicalGuide that distinction of priorities would make for an excellent and insightful video commentary, upon which I imagine that others (and especially I) would very much like to hear your thoughts.
Well, the musicians of the Concertgebouworkest are thrilled with him and voted for him unanimously as the new chief conductor. Some of them have said he is pleasant to work with, gives feedback in an efficient way, etc. That said I’ve also heard the musicians of the Concertgebouworkest don’t like too much critical feedback, for instance there was little chemistry with Jaap van Zweden for instance, who knows what he wants and is more autoritative. So I don’t know if it’s wise to let musicians of an orchestra decide who will be chief conductor. They may think a person is good for them because they’re pleasant to work with, but maybe what they actually need is something else to reach higher. Could it be that the musicians are a little spoiled and ‘lazy’? I read or saw in a documentary that Mariss Janssons was critical about the lack of ambition of the orchestra as well. I’d love your thoughts on this Dave!: Should members of an orchestra decide or a board of people with knowledge and a clear vision on the future of the orchestra with a focus on quality etc? What is common in this regard in the world of classical orchestras?
It makes sense considering the tiny gamut of conductors they have agencies cater to them
I saw Riccardo Muti lament that today's young conductors just aren't getting the kind of rigorous music education that his generation did. They are getting signed to contacts way too early, before they get enough experience. And speaking of "baby conductors" have you seen DG's newest "prodigy," Tarmo Peltokoski?
Very well put.
Paris, Amsterdam and Chicago; you have to wonder what they're smoking. As those younger than myself used to say years ago, "You need to put down that crack pipe." Surely there has to be at least a few younger conductors out there that rose through the ranks the old way (regional opera, regional symphony, etc.) I can't imagine that you're able to skip several steps of the conductor career ladder and ascend to the top rung, unless hiring a conductor these days is nothing more than the equivalent of selecting from a catalogue of mail order brides. Surely there has to be others out there, men and women, certainly less photogenic, but possessing the necessary training, skills and "musical huevos" to step onto the world's orchestral podiums. If not, they should never be allowed into a recording studio, no matter how much the great recording companies have lowered their standards and expectations. I guess I'm showing my age, but the public deserves better than this.
I mean, we live in a moment where people don't tolerate criticism. But you are right, all the Makela's records are horrible. That also shows how the culture is doing... I mean, the other owner of the horror sounding show: Currentizis, having horrendous concerts all around the principal concerts festivals all around the globe... I mean... It's just stupid
Sooner or later we will find out what powers are pushing his career. One thing is clear as day: being a close partner of Yuja was not for nothing. He seems to be the professional hill climber, who knows when and where to grab and hold and for how long.
Nowadays, celebrity is a virtue in and of itself.
The critic B.H. Haggin's First Law might be applicable here: You can't keep a bad man down.
There’s even younger competition coming, also from Finland, with 24-year old Tarmo Peltokoski who’s releasing a CD of Mozart symphonies (how original!) on DG with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen…
They could play that stuff as well as anyone without a conductor at all.
Peltokoski looks like a baby-faced conductor, and most of the time, he looks quite arrogant. If I was a musician, I could not work with such a guy...
I cannot comment as to the music, but he is *unbelievably* hot. I’m swooning rn
I saw the cover of the album on Instagram. I thought it was parody.
I’ve heard Peltokoski live conducting the HK Phil in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Kavakos plus Shostakovich 10. He certainly has talent and drive, but I’m not sure how much real substance he can have at such a young age.
Well actually, Klaus Mäkelä has got another upcoming recording, coming out in June. This will be his first Concerto album. It is Sibelius's Violin Concerto and Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1 with violinist Janine Jansen and the Oslo Philharmonic. Janine Jansen is a very good violinist, but the question is, will Klaus Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic do a good job or a terrible job once again? Also the album cover looks hideous. It's a photo of them two but they look a bit like models. It's really unnecessary and just stupid.
I spent some time listening to his Sibelius recordings out of mere curiosity,,,
i confess i couldn't get through many of the symphonies as it got me so annoyed.. frequently the balance was so wrong... often he plays the accompaniment as main tune and you cant hear the actual tune.. got me so annoyed... you are listening to the Sibelius 6 ( my favourite ) and suddenly, for no reason, are catapulted out of the delight of listening to it.. to hear some accompaniment drowning out the melody... then i read the reviews and I was astonished... were they actually listening to the same performances?? so nice to hear you heard the same things ( and more ) WHY were these performances deemed worthy of saving for posterity?? beats me
PS Yuja Wang makes some decent recordings at least!!!
Well, the musicians of the Concertgebouworkest are thrilled with Mäkelä and apparently voted for him unanimously as their new chief conductor. Some of them have said he is pleasant to work with, gives feedback in an efficient way, etc. That said I’ve also heard the musicians of the Concertgebouworkest don’t like it when they get too much critical feedback. For instance, there was little chemistry between them and Jaap van Zweden for instance, who knows exactly what he wants and is more autoritative, leaves less room. I don’t know if it’s wise to let the musicians of an orchestra decide who will be their chief conductor. They may think a person is good for them because they’re pleasant to work with, but maybe what they actually need is something else to who can push them harder. Could it be that the musicians are a little spoiled and ‘lazy’? I read or saw in a documentary that Mariss Janssons was critical about the lack of ambition of the orchestra and a vision for the future as well. I’d love your thoughts on this Dave!: Should members of an orchestra decide or a board of people with knowledge and a clear vision about the future of the orchestra with a focus on quality, improvement, etc? What is common in this regard in the world of classical orchestras?
This is exactly right. All I've heard from friends in the NY Phil is that he keeps rehearsals moving quickly, says the right things, and isn't offensive. I haven't heard anyone say a single thing about his interpretations or how they sound under him; as far as the NY Phil, it doesn't matter because they think they are the greatest orchestra in the galaxy anyway.
‘No cojones”😂 Thanks from Madrid!
Where’s your other kitty, Finsbury(?) these days? I’m guessing he’s no fan of classical music.
Heavy Metal kind of kitty.
Finster has appeared recently.
Dave, interestingly several of Makela’s records have received a record of the month award in Gramophone. It is always difficult for a review magazine to keep the right side of the line with the record companies who provide advertising revenues. Makela is Universal’s next big thing so a little help from the magazine would be appreciated by Universal. I am a Gramophone subscriber but the magazine is a pale shadow of the authority it had in the 1930s to 1970s.
Its readership is also a pale shadow of what it once was, largely because it's weaknesses have been so obvious for so long.
As I wrote elsewhere (under his video of Schumann's Second Symphony), I think that this guy simply fails to realize (or maybe is in denial) how the great musical institutions that have recently seduced him in fact relentlessly use him in the promotion of some artistic-conceptual agendas. For me, the latter are heavily loaded with all these contemporary politically correct period-instrument and "urtext" musicological mumbo-jumbos that have actually incurred a massive damage to orchestral playing other than that of Baroque music. I am inclined to believe that Mr. Makala is actually a talented young conductor but it seems that he is too naïve and inexperienced, and thus conforms blindly to the ambient artistic conjunctures. In my opinion, this in the long run could put his artistic integrity at a very high risk. I strongly wish it may not prove so.
Me too.
Given that both Thielemann & Nelsons have noticeably deteriorated in recent years as symphonic conductors in their recordings as they've got older, but made great stuff when they were younger, maybe Makela is going the other way - being a bit rubbish now, but will grow to become a superb interpreter as he gains more experience. Like Dave, I would certainly hope this is the case & surely in tandem with the CSO & RCO we should expect that?
Theilemann hasn't deteriorated--he was bad from the start and he's stayed bad.
@@DavesClassicalGuide LOL! His Schumann symphonies with the Philharmonia weren't bad, but yeah, I admit, not in a seismically memorable way!
This is a much more nuanced take than it seems on the surface. DH is right: Many good conductors' records suck... It depends perhaps on certain styles that translate better live than on record - or circumstance... YNS, for example (and yes, he is a good conductor), has maybe two, probably one record to his name, that I really think is good... the rest I could take or leave. Recordings don't matter as much as we record-collectors/lovers think, because the money is in concerts.
It's good, to have someone speak Tacheles when it comes to their recordings, though... when the hype/reputation doesn't translate into the output on disc.
Will you review either of the new piano recordings from Yunchan Lim and Yuja Wang?
Probably.
@@DavesClassicalGuide I am looking forward to it!
As a Chicagoan I have some skin in the game, but I have yet to hear any of his recordings. It is at least interesting that according to folks who, I believe, are in a position to know, orchestras really like playing with/for him. Are they unable to judge the quality of the results from the inside? Has he charmed them and lulled their critical faculties to sleep? I look forward---not without trepidation---to finding out.
First, listen to the recordings.
Second, don't pay attention to the gossip.
Third, yes, orchestras have no idea how they sound to the audience.
Fourth, you can have a great time working with someone and still produce dreck. How much fun they have is irrelevant.
@@DavesClassicalGuide I would suggest that attending a live performance is invaluable. To overlook that as an important factor in judging a performance and a conductor's effectiveness is irresponsible at the very least.
Whenever I attend one, I am always reminded at how much more detail and nuance I am able pick out from a live performance as compared to when I listen to a recorded one at home.
Agree 100%. From what I’ve heard via RUclips this young man is nowhere near as talented as Jakub Hrusa who I would asses the best of the younger generation of conductors. Certainly his interpretations of the great Romantics are second to none and the equal to any of the greats of the past.
Yeah that’s like saying Taylor Swift is a great pop star/singer/songwriter because she’s bizarrely popular, and arguably (given my own experiences) by people who have never heard Streisand, Minelli at her peak, or Garland, let alone Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone, Anita O’Day and so many others (or in the more modern pop vein dozens of other stars from the 1960’s through early 80’s), and don’t even get started about song craft! But when comparing to the disposable radio/streaming junk of the past 20-30 years (and Lady Gaga I’m including you, along with so much even worse), well who knows what standards are at play?
I agree that Taylor Swift is mediocre. But popular mediocrities have always been with us. Back in the 1950's and 1960's, a very popular musician on the TV was....Lawrence Welk. He purported to have a big band that played popular music in the tradition of the swing era. Such a soggy mess of white bread imitation you never heard--and Welk was obviously proud of just how un-swinging and bland his music was. He knew his audience and gave them the pablum they preferred.
I am tempted to go easy on Lady Gaga, because of her duet work with Tony Bennett, where she showed she could really sing. However, I still don't care for her own stuff, which is obviously aimed at a different audience than me.
@@2leftfield oh for sure 90 % (or more) of everything in every era is mediocre, and one can’t say that there was less junk “back in the day”. However at one time junk was considered junk, and there was a system of “gatekeepers” ( love ‘em or hate ‘em) to separate the high from middle brow-sophisticated to middle brow-popular to middle brow-mediocre and junk. Sure Abbott & Costello were wildly popular but few thought they were of the same quality as Laurel & Hardy…though right there that’s subjective, and I grew up loving Abbott & Costello myself…but in accord with David’s REFERENCE level standard, A & C were no L & H ! But today any piece of crap could become popular AND be considered good!
Simon Rattle somehow got to conduct the Berlin PO.... That didnt rescue his mediocrity either..... I rest my case m'lud.
The BP, like most of the so-called "great orchestras of the world" is more interested in fame than actual artistic growth. It is sad.
I watched him conducting Mahler First on youtube and OMG, it was dreadful. Actually, I don't have an opinion on young conductors, Zubin Mehta and Claudio Abbado, for instance, made fabulous recordings when they were young (Young Mehta's Bruckner 9 is still one of my faves), but judging from KM's output so far his is no prodigy, or he simply doesn't know what repertoire he is good at. I even doubt whether he will grow up or improve because no one is going to train him, he is now the guy who can do whatever he wants. And Dave you are actually doing him a favor by criticizing him, and I hope he can listen.
Mildred could perhaps also become a pleasant chief conductor. After all, she's definitely cuter than Mäkelä.
Generally thinking, i think the new generation of conductors is that don't seem to have a coherent and objective point of view toward the music that they record and their interpretation of the music based on subjective point of view toward each music bars. So you may find a cool moment in a track, but you won't be satisfied by listening to the work. I may be wrong, btw.
Well, speaking of another Ken-doll..just listened to the debut Mozart album on DG under Tarmo Peltokoski. It's terrible, mannered, vibratoless, and much too fast etc. And these unnecessary endless improvisations pffff....And that cover😂. Can't wait to hear your verdict...
Stiff-assed Brit here. Firstly- love the channel. So much passion and enthusiasm. And FUN. Surely the most important reason we listen to music for. If I want misery, nihilism and disappointment in the human condition I'll just go down to my local Wal-Mart.
Now its time to play Devil's Advocate...Despite hearing a few of Mr M's (frankly indifferent) performances on CD and elsewhere I welcome his appointment to these multiple posts. If it gets the young interested in classical music and going to concert performances AND boosts the funds for live music making and the profitability of recording companies...so be it. Classical music has to survive in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. It can't rely solely on the shekels provided by some old fogeys on the wrong side of 60 ( I'm referring to ME not you) forever searching for a fix of fun before the inevitable dive into the abyss of senility and easily chewed food (again ME). It might lead these youngsters into searching the rich back catalogue of recorded classical music and realising that others have been there before and done it BETTER. Their revelation will be a joy to behold. To quote the great American philosopher James Tiberius Kirk ' galloping around the (classical) cosmos is a game for the young'. Long may it continue. NURSE! Where's my soft yoghurt?
Sorry, but I think this is nonsense. Having some guy in his 30s leading the orchestra is not going to appeal to "the young," whoever they are. Indeed, this whole obsession with attracting them is stupid and pointless. It never has worked and never will.
I think the CSO is desperate to court younger audience by finding an Instagram-worthy person for the podium, years before he should receive such a position. But the fact that a brilliant conductor such as Marin Alsop, who just happens to be female, was passed over yet again for a top job is what really makes me angry.
It should.
"Wait until they're a little seasoned and been married five or six times and it no longer matters who they're performing with..."
Yes, take a page from Dutoit and Argerich!
what if he happens to be both handsome AND talented? just kidding.
Good for him.
I have a certain fascination with conductors (probably biased, as I myself work more and more in that field). I don´t see myself as a cultist (then again, I doubt most cultists see themselves as cultists...), but love to read biographical accounts of the conducting 'greats', the Böhms, Karajans and Solti's of the classical music world. It's fascinating to me to read about their long careers and the many hardships and difficulties they had to endure and all that over a lengthy period of time. So conductor cult video's are a warm welcome in my opinion (somehow it fascinates me).
I sure do hope to hear Mäkelä some day. Not because of the hype; I have a strong anti-hype reaction to almost everything (making it often sounds I'm a pessimist, though I think I'm not). However, I do live closeby Amsterdam, making it almost a miss not to hear the wonderful orchestra under his baton.
By the way, talking about (young) promissing conductors (or not!), I loved Rouvali's performance with the Concertgebouw Orchestra last year. I know, Dave, on this chanel you don't discus live performances, so I won't bother you anymore with those, thought I have seen your video's about his recordings. I know you covered his recordings on your channel as well.
I found his Sibelius cycle pretty thoroughly average, and I have more than a dozen to compare it to. I don't typically buy Stravinsky recordings, because the music isn't currently my cup of tea. So with respect to his (embryonic) recorded legacy, the jury is still out for me.
As a Chicagoan, he was not my first choice. I wanted either Susanna Mälkki or Esa Pekka Salonen. But ultimately, these days most principal conductors are essentially resident artists who conduct 30-50% of a season. So I hope he makes the CSO some money and makes good music.
For the time being, I fear for the future sound of two of the greatest orchestras I have heard, both on disc an live. I agree, I have listened music conducted by Mäkelä, the recordings )some of the Sibelius and all of the Stravinsky) and videos in different platforms and I find all of them not to my liking. I have no musical training, but I have listened to classical music for a little over 40 years and I am always listening to new recordings because very often you find really good stuff. Up until now, not the case here. I hope time will prove me wrong.
Make Ken (Mäkelä?) Great Again..
😂😂😂😂😂
😅😅😅😅😅
He sucks in the recordings and vids I’ve heard and that’s not my only concern; as a Chicago resident I plan not to attend any of his concerts.
I would go to hear the works I enjoy because hearing them live is always a good time, and you never know...
It's incredible what they are doing with the classical music industry.
What can you expect from Klaus Mäkelä when, talking about the recording session of the Sibelius symphonies, he says the following: 'You don't have to play for the hall; you just have to seduce the microphones." 🙄 I'm sorry, but this guy is completely nuts. 🤮
But, this does not end here, now there is a "new kid on the block": Tarmo Peltokoski... 🤔 I have no idea who he is, nor do I want to know.
Here it must be said that the orchestras are also complicit in all this crap and in this last case, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, in order to have their minute of fame, puts anyone on the podium. Disgusting!!
Tarmo Peltokoski can be seen and heard on the Frankfurt Radio Orchestra's web site. I have seen a couple of videos with him there. He is in fact quite talented and can give a good concert. Don't let your warranted disgust with the "Classical Music Industry" cause you to overlook good new talent. The fact is, when a young musician shows a talent for conducting, opportunities will come his way. George Szell was appointed to his first orchestral post when he was about 19 years old. Leopold Stokowski took over the Cincinatti Symphony when in his mid-20's, and ascended to the podium of the Philadelphia Orchestra at age 30.
@@2leftfield I pass. Thank you.
Dave, your comments on the Mäkelä phenomenon rhyme well with my own prejudices. I hate the present day tendency to make "rock stars" and to get marketing pull out of young musicians like Lang Lang, Yuja Wang and Mäkelä himself based at least as much on their looks and "personality" as on their musical ability. That said, I haven't yet heard any Mäkelä performances and feel that I need to make up my own mind having read other criticisms of his Sibelius which are mostly more favourable than yours. Maybe I'll go for a single disc such as some Stravinsky so as to limit my investment in potential disappointment.
Of course, very young conducting talents are by no means recent. During my lifetime there have been Barenboim, initially as a pianist and a conductor from the keyboard, Welser-Möst and Rattle. Welser-Möst got the LPO at 30 at Rattle Birmingham at 25, but neither of these orchestras had anything approaching the standards and prestige of the Concertgebouw and Chicago.. Interestingly Welser-Möst was hated by most British critics (Frankly Worse than Most) whilst Rattle was strongly supported. I have to confess to liking some of Rattle's early records such as Sibelius 5 (with the Philharmonia) and his Mahler 2 but perhaps I was (and still am) a victim of brainwashing by Gramophone!
I agree that Makela's recordings of Sibelius and Stravinsky are inferior to those by others like Bernstein, Maazel, etc. I also agree that Makela and Wang didn't handle their public relations at all well. But, look at it this way. They're both celebrities. When's the last time classical music had people like Karajan, Callas, Bernstein or even Glenn Gould who made the big splash onto mainstream media and became the topics of cocktail conversations like Sinatra, Streisand or Grant? Besides, Makela may even turn out to be as big as Karajan, someone who attracts big crowds. What's wrong with that? I watched his RUclips of Verklarte Nacht. It was actually well done. Give the guy some time.
He can have as much time as he wants. That’s not my call. But let’s be clear. He is only a celebrity in the rarified world of classical music. The Three Tenors were celebrities. This is weak beer in comparison. And then there’s the music, of course.
As a CSO patron since early Solti, I'm willing to wait and see what happens. No he's not "there" yet, not even close...but he'll grow and develop, and if he grows and develops enough then terrific and the risk will pay off. If not, they move on, it's not a lifetime contract.
But Mr. Hurwitz, one piece of advice. You're a knowledgeable guy and I respect your opinion, but knock off the name-calling. It's beneath you. I can practically see you drooling over the Claudia Cassidy fantasy you're dying to re-enact with this kid. But Cassidy lost plenty of respect in this town for mixing in more and more petty digs and cheap shots that had nothing to do with proper criticism. Don't make the same mistake she did.
Thank you for the advice. I am, however, comfortable with my approach. I too have a suggestion: grow a sense of humor. This business needs as much as it can get.
Did you just admonish someone for name-calling while simultaneously accusing them of fantasizing (while drooling, no less) about running someone out of town? Physician, heal thyself.
Unfortunately it is a symptom of the collapse of the popularity of live (and recorded) classical music. The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about- Oscar’s Wilde. His on/off relationship with Yuja, another manipulator, didn’t hurt.
Yes, I think Yuja might have had different ideas about music. Somehow, judging by her playing, which I happen to like, I can already imagine the arguments over the breakfast table.
What makes his records being dreadful?
Watch the videos and find out.
I absolutely agree that Klaus and Yuja's high-school girl-fight lover's spat causing them to cancel concert appearances and screwing up orchestral season programs - and thus ultimately affecting people's hard-earned money shelled out in good faith for concert tickets - is absolutely ridiculous and unbelievably immature. I have lost all respect for Yuja Wang (and I never had any for Makela); I think she's a great pianist, but her princess diva attitude is vindictive, irresponsible and simply unacceptable.