Klaus Mäkelä Conducts 1st Opera in 9 Years, Triumphing With Strauss at Aix
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 5
Klaus Mäkelä Conducts 1st Opera in 9 Years, Triumphing With Strauss at Aix
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 5
Summary
Nine years after his only previous pit assignment, Klaus Mäkelä returned to opera with a new production of Richard Strauss’s “Die Frau Ohne Schatten,” which opened Friday at the Aix-en-Provence Festival.
The review calls the staging a triumph, saying Mäkelä successfully “plants his flag” in opera by taking on one of the repertory’s most difficult works from scratch.
Barrie Kosky’s production is credited with sharpening Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s dense fairy tale into a moving portrait of humanity, supported by a standout cast.
At 29 and already set to lead the Concertgebouw Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra next year, Mäkelä’s Aix debut adds a high-profile opera milestone to his fast-rising career.