«Sol Gabetta, Klaus Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic rip the audience in Dortmund from their seats»

In November 2022, the Oslo Philharmonic toured five cities in three countries with chief conductor Klaus Mäkelä and soloist Sol Gabetta.

Both the musical and the logistical program were tight with a tour schedule like this:

November 14: Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany
November 15: Isarphilharmonie in Munich, Germany
November 16: Koningin Elisabethzaal in Antwerp, Belgium
November 18: Konzerthaus Dortmund in Dortmund, Germany
November 20: Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna, Austria

See pictures and read what reviewers said about the concerts.

Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany

Patrik Klein writes about the concert in the Elbphilharmonie for Klassik-begeistert:

«After the intermission, meanwhile in full orchestral instrumentation with the eight double basses on the right side of the podium, the hour of the Oslo Philharmonic under its young star conductor Klaus Mäkelä begins. [...] And what can one listen to as a ticket holder in this incomprehensible rush of sound in the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg? Highly precise instrumental groups rise above themselves, forming sound surfaces that one thought one had never heard before. And all this only because there is such a young jack-of-all-trades at the podium?

Yes and no. Certainly no conductor can form a great orchestra out of a weak one. But here it seems to me that a symbiosis has grown between baton and orchestra, after only three years of working together.»

Joachim Mischke in the Hamburger Abendblatt (subscribers only) writes this about Shostakovich's tenth:

«One of those middle, shockingly jagged symphonies in which you have to be very deaf to miss the composer's monogram D-S-C-H and its multi-layered will to survive despite and after Stalin's terror regime. [...] A piece that ideally let Mäkelä's strength work: In the depressively foggy passages he virtually breathed the music, his body language consistently refrained from authoritarian orders, he followed the flow of the action and adjusted only what was necessary. No sign to the tutti to rest on a mediocre level, a clever trick to reward their creative ambition.»

Isarphilharmonie in Munich, Germany

Markus Theil writes about the concert in the Isarphilharmonie in OVB Heimatzeitungen (subscribers only):

«Two soul mates before the break. Sol Gabetta and Mäkelä rocked Shostakovich's first cello concerto. Her rich, yet lean, flexible tone suits it perfectly. There is always roundness and awareness of sound. Others may drive their cello into noise, with Gabetta Shostakovich's depressing passages become a play of pale colours.»

Michael Stallknecht writes for Süddeutsche Zeitung:

«It takes that much assertiveness to be the leader of two large orchestras at the age of 26. In the case of the young Finn, it comes from a passion for music [...]

Remarkably, the light suits him just as well, not only in the dance-like second movement of Tchaikovsky's symphony, but earlier in the first part of the evening. [...] In the orchestral suite, which Stravinsky developed from his own ballet "Le Baiser de la Fée", Mäkelä brings the rhythmic changes, including those between solos and tutti, to the point with great precision, while remaining light-handed in humorous understatement. Such serenity is otherwise only known from much older conductors: sometimes there is simply nothing to do, to listen, for example when an orchestra musician has a nice solo. Musicians love such freedom within a clear framework, including star soloists like Sol Gabetta.»

Koningin Elisabethzaal in Antwerp, Belgium

The same program was played in Antwerp as in Munich and Vienna.

Kozerthaus Dortmund in Dortmund, Germany

In Dortmund, reviewer Brian Cooper was present for Klassik begeistert:

«Sol Gabetta, Klaus Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic rip the audience in Dortmund from their seats

The long evening of concerts in the Ruhr area confirms the impression we had in Hamburg that we are dealing with a top European orchestra here. With a conductor, Klaus Mäkelä, who undoubtedly has a great future ahead of him. And with an outstanding soloist Sol Gabetta, who obviously can do everything on the cello. Blessed are those who were allowed to accompany the Oslo Philharmonic part of the way on the recent European tour.»

Westfälischer Anzeiger (printed newspaper only), represented by Edda Breski writes about Sibelius's 2nd symphony after the break:

«By then, so much had happened that the programme would have been enough to be full of music by the interval. What followed, however, was a stunning performance of Sibelius's Second second symphony, cantabile, haunting and un-needed. The Oslo Philharmonic had several delicacies to offer, such as sand-blasted brass that found its way to dark, muscular solemnity, a fine horn section, soloists who performed their solos and zwiegesang with relish. Mäkelä left plenty of room for this. The richness of detail, however, was bound by Mäkelä's calm overview, a sovereign attitude that combined control and joyful detail work. The finale had a power of its own: it shone, but also had room for chaos, for strings and winds were so finely balanced that no group outshone the other, the parts given space next to each other. The result was a joyfully celebrated tension that lasted until the last glow.»

Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna, Austria

Susanne Zobl gives the concert five stars in Kurier (printed newspaper only), and writes:

«Dmitri Shostakovich's "Cello Concerto in E flat major" (op. 107) is a real challenge for every soloist. The excellent Sol Gabetta faced this masterfully. She worked out the complexity of this piece with virtuosity, the dance-like passages sounded light, finely nuanced. She played harmoniously with the orchestra. Mäkelä, himself a trained cellist, relied on the chamber music aspect of this work.»

Pedro J. Lapeña Rey writes for codalario.com:

«After the break, Mäkelä and his orchestra’s performance of Tchaikowsky's Pathetique Symphony was colossal. To see and not believe. The naturalness, the poise and the teaching they imparted are those that mark an era. And why not say it, in an idiomatic version like few others. By sound and by emotional tension. [...] Up to 6 times he had to go out to greet a completely devoted public, which has taken time to meet the Finn but now demands more and more.»