Mäkelä Leads Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 by Mahler, Minn (2025/2025), Surmast Direttur Klaus Mäkelä, Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Netherlands

When Gustav Mahler came to Amsterdam to conduct the Dutch premiere of his First Symphony in 1903, a close collaboration started – so began the Concertgebouw Orchestra’s much-vaunted Mahler tradition. Klaus Mäkelä steps into that tradition with respect and self-confidence. He previously gave stunning interpretations of the Sixth and the Third, now it is time for the First, which he calls Mahler's 'pastoral’ symphony: ‘I’ve always been attracted to its imaginative beauty, and its freshness. The expression is extremely clear, and it contains all the elements of his later work.’ The concert opens with a brand new companion piece to Mahler’s First Symphony by the Swedish composer Anders Hillborg, whose music is often not far removed from Mahler's vast symphonic world. The work was commissioned by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with financial support from the Mahler Foundation.