Back in December, I had some skeptical words about Klaus Mäkelä, whose rise to the top of the conducting profession has been bewilderingly rapid. He is leading the Oslo Philharmonic and the Orchestre de Paris; is slated to take over the Concertgebouw; and is being closely scrutinized by at least two major American orchestras. After making his recorded début with a fairly dismal cycle of the Sibelius symphonies, Mäkelä has now turned to Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and Firebird. David Hurwitz has a strongly worded video review, and while I might not have chosen all the same turns of phrase — to call Mäkelä the "Ken doll of classical music" is perhaps premature — I can't disagree with the fundamental sentiment. These performances are unforgivably dull. It is a scandal to make the Rite sound so mechnical and lifeless. The Firebird comes across as minor Glazunov. With so much talent coming forward, why him?
