The Maison Symphonique of Montréal was graced with prominent international talent South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim and the Orchestre de Paris, led by Finnish guest conductor Klaus Mäkelä. Performances of Claude Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s infamous Piano Concerto no. 2 in C Minor, op. 18 were met with thunderous applause and standing ovations, though the highlight of the night was undoubtedly the bold and colorful rendition of Firebird by Igor Stravinsky.
Klaus Mäkelä, a cellist in his own right, is making his mark at just 28 years old. He is the Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic, the music director of the Orchestre de Paris, and an artistic partner of the Royal Concertgebouworkest Orchestra. Beginning in 2027, he will lead the Concertgebouworkest as Chief Conductor.
Mäkelä eased into the night with Faun, a lyrical piece inspired by Stéphane Mallarmé’s poem L’après-midi d’un faune. The music’s languid melodies evoked anything but lethargy: the highly tonal piece, beginning with the famous chromatic flute solo, was mesmerizing. Mäkelä’s conducting seemed effortless. The flute brought the piece to a gentle close, punctuated only by a jarring ringtone which Mäkelä addressed cheekily with a phone call hand gesture amidst the applause.
Much of the audience came for the hugely popular Yunchan Lim, the young prodigy who celebrated his 20th birthday the day after the concert. The current New England Conservatoire student is the youngest person ever to win the esteemed Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (which he won in 2022 at just 18), and has collaborated with orchestras worldwide. He wowed the audience with his technical prowess in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.
Lim performed the piece with great finesse, displaying his virtuosity without excess. He gave way to the orchestra when necessary, though at times the balance drowned out the piano, which could have been more assertive. Lim could have taken more time during solo passages, but nevertheless played effectively with intuitive clarity, never letting the quick riffs sound muddy. Though he played more rigidly than many pianists interpreting this piece, he ultimately shone with a smile on his face. He seemed most at ease in the last movement, during which he allowed drama to take over. Following four thunderous rounds of applause, he sat down to play an encore. He cruised through Frederic Chopin’s Étude Opus 10 No. 3 (Tristesse), the first single in his upcoming debut album with Decca Classics. It is set to release next month.
The intermission halls were abuzz with excitement for Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird. Spoiler alert: we were not disappointed. The orchestral suite from the original ballet is based on Russian fairy tales featuring a prince (Ivan), a villain (Kastchei) and a magical firebird. The suite — much like Faun — offered enchanting imagery of mystical plots and forests.
Mäkelä took us on a wonderfully paced journey through the story’s ominous and mysterious garden. The conductor led the orchestra fearlessly through organized chaos and urgency. The infamous and ferocious Infernal Dance sequence was a highlight, featuring various melodies inspired by Stravinsky’s teacher, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Mäkelä adeptly sought and brought out the full potential of the orchestra: he guided the regal horns over the achingly quiet strings, the swell of the flutes in tandem with the melodious harps, and the well-timed explosions of bass drums and percussion — a particularly note-worthy section. Bassoons, oboes, and clarinets were fabulous in creating discordant unease in the villain motifs, and the piece ended with glorious brass fanfare. With the whole audience at their feet, Mäkelä graciously acknowledged every soloist and section, bringing the colourful night to a close.
The North American premiere of Bruno Monsaingeon’s documentary Klaus Mäkelä – Vers la Flamme, highlighting the brilliant conductor’s virtuosic talents, will be screened in Montréal’s Cinéma du Musée this Friday March the 22nd and the Québec City’s Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec on the 24th as part of the 42nd edition of the Festival International du Film sur l’Art (FIFA).
Place des Arts
https://placedesarts.com/en/Orchestre de Paris
https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/en/institution/orchestre-de-parisKlaus Mäkelä
https://klausmakela.com/
