classical music

Finland’s latest star conductor, Klaus Mäkelä, has caused a bit of a stir with his Decca label debut - a full cycle of Sibelius Symphonies, no less. But what part of the success is calculated studio work and what is an exceptional flow of music that can also be achieved in concert? To find out, we can compare the studio recording to a recent live experience at Hamburg Elbphilharmonie.

Hietsu is Happening! runs on the logic of improvisation, while Helsinki Seriös has ambitions to become a new cornerstone of the chamber music scene. Both are examples of how non-institutional concert organisers can foster continuity. There is plenty of demand for small-format concerts out there, even if bringing marginal music offerings and audiences together is tedious and time-consuming.

"The greatest merit of this disc is in demonstrating how natural even the oddest of musical combinations can seem if driven by genuine, experience-based musicianship."

"Janne Mertanen lets the music speak for itself, though also taking the few virtuosic challenges in his stride."

"There are gems to be discovered in this repertoire, disdained by contemporaries and marginalised by history."

"It will come as no surprise that Dima Slobodeniouk and his Lahti musicians give all four works committed and lively performances, and that the BIS team have captured them in vivid sound."