Lang Lang, Klaus Mäkelä and the Concertgebouw Orchestra: Saint-Saëns

Lang Lang

The piano marvel Lang Lang returns to the Concertgebouw Orchestra! Good thing too, as Saint-Saëns’s Second Piano Concerto calls for a versatile pianist, with all the stark contrasts it contains. The organ-like opening is reminiscent of Bach, the middle movement is a frivolous little dance, and the finale is a tumultuous tour de force. This irresistible concerto is the perfect introduction to Ravel’s La valse, exuberant and nostalgic but with a bitter undertone: history teaches us that every waltz may be the last.

Klaus Mäkelä conducts the Concertgebouw Orchestra

Before we partake of all this rich French colour, we turn our gaze northwards with Klaus Mäkelä. Our soon-to-be chief conductor has a razor-sharp understanding of music from his native Finland. Flounce by Lotta Wennäkoski is one of those rare contemporary works which immediately become international orchestral hits: everything revolves around light, clarity and movement, as if the composer wants to escape the pull of gravity. Magnus Lindberg has composed a new work especially for the Concertgebouw Orchestra – resounding proof of the special bond between them which has been built up over the years. Lindberg always manages to conjure new sounds from the orchestra. Although he does not shy away from shock effects, his music is above all ‘emotional and very, very human’, as one reviewer wrote.