Who’s conducting Chicago next season? Yes, him

Who’s conducting Chicago next season? Yes, him

Orchestras

norman lebrecht

February 28, 2024

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association has just published plans for 2024-25.

Music Director Emeritus for Life Riccardo Muti will conduct four programs and a two-week US tour.

Other headline conductors are Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Jaap Van Zweden and the young Finn Klaus Mäkelä.

Despite being heavily committed to the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Orchestre de Paris, Mäkelä is expected to be confirmed as Chicago’s next music director.

It’s probably the worst-kept secret in the entire orchestra world.

Comments

  • Rodent Bait says:

    What happened to Thielemann? Did Berlin take him out of the running here? Will be interesting to hear what the CSO musicians here have to say.

    • Euphonium Al says:

      We will see indeed. This move may go over well with the donor class, but I can’t imagine most long-tenured CSO muscicians want to be under the directorship of a man in his early 30s.

      • Maria says:

        Why not? Get them out of their complacency and find a new way of interpreting music rather than standard music albeit very well done but becoming so routine and predictable. Wish him the very, very best.

      • Sue Sonata Form says:

        You mean a man the same age as Mozart when he was writing masterpieces? Or Schubert?

      • Barry says:

        One that fits that description who I discussed Makela with wasn’t ready to endorse him after one program (at that time), but was extremely impressed and struck me as open to the prospect if he still felt that way after additional programs with him.

    • John Kelly says:

      Well the resident rodent will doubtless be happy the object of his ire will be departing to sunnier climes……………

    • Willem Philips says:

      He was never for a’omw t in the running in Chicago. Never.

    • Don Ciccio says:

      Bad timing for the CSO. they should have waited a few more years until Mr. T is kicked out of Berlin, same was he was kicked out of Dresden. 🙂

    • waw says:

      Inside sources say that leading candidates are not signing unless Muti was stripped of his title “Emeritus for Life”, they’re saying Chicago is not the Vatican, they refuse to have 2 popes.

      I swear on Saint Riccardo that is the truth!

  • Curious says:

    It would be bold of Makela to pick Chicago over Cleveland

    • Skylar says:

      Indeed. I always thought he has had a longer and closer relationship to Cleveland? Of the three American orchestras who might be interested in him right now (the other being LA Phil) Chicago seems to have the least chance to be honest.

      • Violinist says:

        Skylar I find your comments comical at this point. I get it that you want Makela in Cleveland and are bitterly clinging on to that, but please do share some insight about your claim, especially the one where LA Phil is somehow ahead of CSO in the running?

        • Skylar says:

          Putting artistic profiles aside (where CSO has no advantage), it also has the least compatible schedule: you need an MD now, not 3 years later. I see no way Mäkelä can assume a similar artistic partnership with CSO similar to the type he has with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, on top of existing commitments. So if he accepts he is going to take over an orchestra with no MD for 4 years with significant holes in its roster. No such problem with the other two orchestra. There is also the human side of the institutions: the admins of Oslo and Paris both had significant connections to his mentors – an additional advantage LA Phil has. In Chicago he would be going into an alien environment.

          Has he, rather than his pushy agent who would be interested in negotiating as many offers as possible for leverage for his client, actually stated a strong interest in taking the role?

    • waw says:

      You can’t pick Cleveland if Cleveland hasn’t made any overtures much less an offer.

    • Willem Philips says:

      Why? Cleveland has suffered immensely under F W-M and isn’t the orchestra it’s under Szell or Dohnanyi. It would be a huge error of judgment to consider Cleveland over Chicago, and he clearly hasn’t.

    • Violinist says:

      What makes it bold, other than the fact the CSO is a better match for his lively vivid conducting personality and pays more? Some people might call it a no brainer

    • waw says:

      He’ll take both.

      Cleveland will make an offer, Makela will drop Paris, and inherit the Triple “C”rown of orchestras: Concertgebouw, Chicago, Cleveland, a triumvirate never before achieved and never to be repeated.

  • niloiv says:

    Is it actually confirmed? Several other frequent guests also show up in 24/25 calendar (Hrusa, Szeps-Znaider, Salonen, Honeck)

    • Barry says:

      I thought they should have picked Honeck, but it’s obviously not up to me and if they were interested in him, they would have probably said so before he recommitted to PIttsburgh. They also would have probably gone after Salonen by now if he was under consideration.

    • SomewhatOutOfTune says:

      Would be a sham to discount Hrusa and others a bit older. Last year’s line-up offered several other enticing candidates. The young Dudamel worked out OK in L.A. with strong administrative leadership, so it’s not impossible to think of Makela. Still, that’s really young

  • Robert Holmén says:

    If so, will he be the youngest MD Chicago has had?

    I just looked at the list of previous conductors… Stock was about 32-ish when he took over?

  • Anonymous says:

    I never heard of the guy. He has no name recognition. Why would he be appointed music director.

  • MarknCali says:

    Klaus does have two big weeks in Cleveland coming up soon. But Cleveland’s needs in terms of time commitment a year are longer than Chicago’s, and CSO pays more money. So this will be interesting to see how in plays out.

  • Angelo Gervasio says:

    Is it actually true that the Chicago Symphony will be doing a UK tour? It doesn’t sound right. I read about the 2024-25 season on Chicago Classical Review and they said that the CSO are only doing a domestic tour. So it sounds like they would more likely do a US tour than a UK tour

  • Concertgebouw79 says:

    And Oslo?

  • Nick K. says:

    Hrusa did a better Mahler than Makela this past year in Chicago. Not sure about this.

  • Edoardo says:

    Many are betting on Makela…for me he still has to deliver…

  • OSF says:

    “Mäkelä is expected to be confirmed as Chicago’s next music director.”

    By whom?

    I have absolutely no connection or knowledge of CSO matters, but it’s inconceivable to me that they would hire a 30 YO music director; they have long been an orchestra that seeks the “Grand Old Man.” And hasn’t Makela only conducted them once?

    I would think Hrusa would be a more likely prospect, or maybe they’re quietly still pursuing Thielemann, who definitely seems the CSO’s type.

    • Maria says:

      About time the grand old men moved over and either let in some grand old women or better still young new blood be it a man or a woman. Life is moving on.

  • Harold Wilkin says:

    Is theCSO really planning a two week UK tour? If so, where can I find details?

  • Chicagorat says:

    Actually Muti’s tour will be domestic (UK knows better).

    In the meantime we have cleared his office. Baby steps.

    The Chicago Classical Review has a good article on this: “ CSO hits the snooze button …”

    https://chicagoclassicalreview.com/2024/02/cso-hits-the-snooze-button-for-transitional-2024-25-season/

    Esteban as soloist gives a good sense of the season’s artistic level.

    • Carl says:

      Chicago Classical Review nails it again. Why can’t the Tribune take a more rigorous line on the CSO? They report the press release but it lacks teeth, IMHO. This season absolutely has the feel of being designed by committee, with little to excite or surprise.

      • OSF says:

        The Tribune is now owned by a hedge fund that’s stripping it for parts (and the real estate). They probably couldn’t care less about the CSO.

    • CSOfan says:

      Makes totally sense to me: if MD is no longer consider MD, the office has to be cleared
      Battalan will play two pieces. Looking forwar to listen that!

  • Brad says:

    If this is the case, why the hell don’t they just announce and be done with it?

  • RW2013 says:

    hab gnug von dem Gesicht

  • waw says:

    1) A UK tour and you didn’t make it the headline?!?! You who lament every diss of the UK by touring orchestras?

    2) Regarding Makela: The Triple Crown (almost), which leads to the question, which conductor was officially made music director simultaneously of the most prestigious *trio* of orchestras? (Opera houses not included.)

    Young Makela may well hold the record just because no one else has ever gotten 3 major orchestra directorships at the same time!

    So Yuja will automatically be named Artist in Residence at Chicago for years to come?

    3) In the final analysis, sorry Thielemann, one just can’t have an old German guy as music director of an American orchestra today or ever anymore, Muti and Welser-Most are the very last of the Old World maestros in America, no more.

  • LAPhan says:

    Wish he could come to LA. Someone like him is much needed out here. Oh well.

    • Paul says:

      You had someone. Suzanna Malkki was LA’s principal guest conductor for 5 years. She’s fabulous…and a free agent if I’m not mistaken. I’ll be seeing her in Cleveland tonight….she would make for a terrific MD, whether it would Cleveland, LA, or just about any major orchestra

      • Nick Kalogeresis says:

        Malkki is conducting Mahler 4 with the CSO later in March. I always thought she would make a great MD of any orchestra.

      • LAPhan says:

        You must not be a musician. While she certainly checks many boxes on paper, musicians are not fond of her conducting technique (often pausing her motion for a split second which throws players off, or slowing the tempo when she does a big gesture even though she didn’t mean to slow down, etc), and they aren’t fond of her interpretations of the standard rep.

  • justthefax says:

    *four

    Music Director Emeritus for Life Riccardo Muti will conduct for programs and a two-week UK tour.

  • waw says:

    Thielemann’s conspicuous absence also means that the only significant Bruckner performance in this 200th anniversary will be by Petrenko and the visiting Berlin Philharmonic playing the Bruckner 5.

    It’s a watershed moment for Chicago as it turns away from its Austro-Hungarian roots and DNA.

  • Neil Bacon says:

    Better too have Mutti conduct for programs rather than against them

  • Couperin says:

    Well that’s a veritable sky dive into the deepest abyss for CSO. What a shame! Say it isn’t so!!!

  • Paul says:

    I wouldn’t make any assumptions based on the concert schedule. Makela conducted in Cleveland for two weeks last season and is doing the same this season. I imagine he will be back again next season. Cleveland is also seeking a music director to replace Franz Welser-Most in 2027. Makela has contracts in Oslo and Paris until 2027. I would call it a coincidence at this point. Hoping both Chicago and Cleveland find the right fit for their next MD going forward…..

  • Rupert Kinsella says:

    I am so tired of conductors being Music Directors at more than one institution.

    I won’t be surprised if we see someone be MD at 5 orchestras or operas in the future.

    • SlippedChat says:

      Yes, like hogs at the trough (and the orchestra budget)(really, how much annual income does any star conductor really “need”?), who shut out other talented conductors of various ages. (Yes, they are out there, but they just don’t have publicity machines and record labels behind them.)

      And that’s aside from the point that a “music director” whose actual residence totals only a few months a year is hardly in a position to do much orchestra-building or community-building.

      • OSF says:

        If you’re a conductor, you want to work. With orchestras having 52-week schedules (yes, many weeks off) and the big ones having 30+ weeks of subscription concerts, they can’t conduct them all; that’s a lot of programs. So someone has to conduct the others, and the MD has to conduct elsewhere, too. And as we read here constantly, there aren’t many truly great conductors. So the few who are will be sought after by multiple institutions. Except for some reason the Berlin Phil director generally doesn’t have a second job.

  • Rob says:

    He’s playing with Yuju Fang in April, the Bartok 2nd

  • Stickles says:

    So wish the CSO board can grow a pair of ears and hear that Makela is not ready yet.

  • Andrew Clarke says:

    If that doesn’t kill David Hurwitz, nothing will.

  • Corno di Caccia says:

    Quite unbelievable! A veritable child in charge of a monster orchestra!

  • LAPhan says:

    I wish the LA Phil could draw a talent like him. Or bring in an established great conductor like Simon Rattle. They need it.

    • Michel Lemieux says:

      The LA Phil is widely rumored to be looking a non-white woman for the role. I can ASSURE you that they will not name a white male conductor for the post.

      Elim Chan and the overrated Alondra De La Parra are two names are supposedly on the “list.”

      • LAPhan says:

        I imagine if La Parre was picked the musicians would riot. The orchestra is in need of a real conductor. If the board and management have any sense they’ll know that and try to get someone who can shape the sound of the ensemble in a positive way. They are a greatly talented orchestra but lack a unified voice/vision. Enough of the young flashy conductors. They need to bring in a real maestro.

  • Michael Watanabe says:

    Hopefully the crime gets in order. City is emptying out of stores and restaurants. A guy threw a log at a women’s head and killed her around 3 pm. The criminals just walk up to you, punch you and take your phone. Shootings in the lop at 4 pm up the street from the CSO. Can’t wait for the response on here from someone who thinks it is totally fine. You are totally delusional. Good luck to the new conductor. I’ll see him when the Mayor goes.

    • John says:

      It’s this way in all the major cities run by black liberals. Last time I went to see the San Francisco Symphony I came back to no car. I parked in a gated garage with cameras but, guess what, *all* the cameras weren’t working and all you have to do is push the gate up with your hand to get in. The police found the car in Oakland but the Alameda DA refused to prosecute the thieves. It was their “first offense,” (they were both 16) and she was okay with that.

    • Nick Kalogeresis says:

      I take it culture is not your thing.

  • WL Weller says:

    His Mahler 5 program last year was one of the best CSO concerts that I’d heard in a long time. Serving as music director at age 28 with all of his other responsibilities is hard to imagine.

    • Nick K. says:

      I attended that concert and having heard Mahler symphonies for 30 plus years at Orchestra Hall, it was not that great. It was all over the place in terms of dynamics and shading, tempi and interpretation. Makela has a long way to go. Hrusa’s Ninth was much better. Makela is no Mahlerian yet and I’d be very disappointed if the CSO hires him.

      • WL Weller says:

        I was referring to the concert as a whole and it’s just my opinion. However, I agree with you. I would hope for a conductor that is more seasoned. It is very difficult to get into the Chicago Symphony as musician. It should be just as difficult for a conductor/music director.

  • Pedro says:

    If what you need is an experienced MD take Blomstedt.

  • kuma says:

    I am bummed! Hoping for Thielemann or Hrusa. His Firebird with CSO was great and also recently saw him at Concertgebouw conducting Pictures at the exhibition which was ok not great… His Sibelius cycle is also ho hum ..

  • Plush says:

    Not a chance! Erroneous wishful NON reporting.
    CSO Musicians do not stand for a newbie. They will only allow the best in the world to be hired.

    • John in Denver says:

      Dream on! The contract was signed many months ago. They’re waiting for KM’s upcoming appearance in April (awkwardly, with his ex Yuja Wang) to announce. Unbelievable foolishness on the part of the CSO.

  • Guest Conductor says:

    Shouldn’t Marin Alsop be considered?

    • Couperin says:

      Hahahahah! Don’t make me cry. From a friend in NYPhil.. “she was absolutely the worst, and I’m serious the WORST conductor I have EVER seen.”

      Maybe they were exaggerating.

      • Andrew Clarke says:

        Ms Alsop seems to be more appreciated outside the USA than within it. A female alternative might be Jo Ann Falletta.
        I wonder if your friend isn’t getting Marin Alsop confused with the late Madge Alsop, Edna Everage’s paid companion and former bridesmaid, who always seemed, understandably, in a state of shock?

    • Chef says:

      God forbid

  • Save the MET says:

    If Chicago wants Yuja over the next few years, it likely will not be with Makela conducting.

  • Jenny says:

    Makela was treated like a rock star in Cleveland last year. And that the musicians loved working with him.

  • Zandonai says:

    A fitting choice I think. Chicago and Finland have similar weather. He will fit right in.

  • Jeff R says:

    The older CSO female patrons LOVED him at the matinee Mahler performance I attended last Winter. I heard some interesting discussion about this good looking young man. Shall we say a young Liszt….

  • Yuja says:

    He’s not THAT good. His recordings have been a mixed bag. He has a lot of promise, but needs more seasoning. But I’m sure they’re looking for a young, handsome “superstar” for box office.

  • Player says:

    Chicagorat will be hoping for more attention from Klaus… where Muti only used to put down rat poison!

  • Mini Kui Dozo says:

    An excellent match. Very reminiscent of a young Claudio Abbado.

  • Kman says:

    Other than money, what is the upside to taking the Cleveland job rather than Paris?

  • Mr Unconvinced says:

    Makela’s appearance with the BBC Symphony at the Proms last year was pretty poor. He obviously had no idea what to do with Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast which was sloppy and slap-dash. Just felt that he wanted to use it as a vehicle to show off on the podium.

  • Trond Hansen says:

    Mäkelä also is music director in Oslo ! !

  • waw says:

    The very fact that no CSO musician, including the ubiquitous Max Raimi, has come on to DENY this report, speaks VOLUMES about the truth of this report.

  • MOST READ TODAY: