BBC Proms 2024: Prom 58 - Debussy: Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune; Stravinsky: Petrushka (1947); Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique (Orchestre de Paris – Philharmonie / Mäkelä)

3rd September 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

DEBUSSY Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
STRAVINSKY Petrushka (1947 version)
BERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique

Jean-Baptiste Doulcet (piano)
Orchestre de Paris - Philharmonie
Klaus Mäkelä (conductor)



Klaus Mäkelä with Orchestre de Paris. Having seen Mäkelä for three years with three different orchestras, I can now confirm that he is a very polarising conductor. In extravagant and texturally complex works, he brings the best out of his orchestras, lets the players enjoy their moments, creates very transparent textures and often yields refreshing and invigorating results. This is particularly true for the "Petrushka" (1947) tonight, which is the best I have ever heard live. For once, the performance actually reminded the audience that the music was originally written for a ballet, has a physical dimension to it, and tells a long story, as opposed to some patchy orchestral mess you hear in most other performances. The clinical playing was breathtaking and got better and better in the later tableaux. Then his quieter and introspective moments mostly fall flat. The opening "Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune" suffered from this and felt like it was played by a different orchestra. Rather than the charged eroticism you'd expect, the flute solo was a bit lethargic and got overpowered by the strings, which unfortunately weren't as sensational and shaped as they could be. One would like to think it varies on a piece by piece basis, but it is a serious problem when this discrepancy happens within the same work. In "Symphonie fantastique", he got the whole audience to swing in enjoyment during the ballroom waltz in "Un bal", giving us a taste of classical grace and elegance this fabulous Parisian force could afford. Then the energy just dissipated in the cor anglais-oboe duet in "Scène aux champs" and the whole middle movement dragged on without direction before the excitement picked up again in the rhythmic final two movements, both brilliantly executed. There were moments where he just let his players go wild without conducting and when he shaped, he was bodily involved and got some sharp responses in return. You can see why the players love working with him. Does he deserve all the attention and jobs he gets? He sure is a special talent and well appreciated by everyone, but there is still some way to go before he becomes one of the greats. Time will tell.