Hector Berlioz; Maurice Ravel - Symphonie fantastique; La Valse (Klaus Mäkelä)

Information

Composer: Hector Berlioz; Maurice Ravel

• Berlioz - Symphonie fantastique, H. 48
• Ravel - La valse, M. 72

Orchestre de Paris

Klaus Mäkelä, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Decca

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The centerpiece of this album is a live recording of Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, performed by the Orchestre de Paris under Klaus Mäkelä at the Philharmonie de Paris in December 2024. A core work in the orchestra’s history, the symphony holds special significance, having been famously recorded by its first music director, Charles Munch. Mäkelä, who has performed the piece extensively with the orchestra, brings renewed energy to Berlioz’s revolutionary work, inspired by Shakespeare, Beethoven, and Harriet Smithson. The album also includes Ravel’s La Valse, continuing Mäkelä’s series on Ballets Russes-related repertoire, following earlier Stravinsky and Debussy releases.

Klaus Mäkelä, born in Helsinki in 1996, is a Finnish conductor and cellist. A graduate of the Sibelius Academy, he studied conducting with Jorma Panula and cello with several noted teachers. Mäkelä is currently Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic and Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris. In 2027, he will also take on major roles with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. An exclusive Decca Classics artist, he has recorded works by Stravinsky, Debussy, Sibelius, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich. His programming blends French repertoire, premieres of contemporary works, and major symphonic cycles, earning him international acclaim.

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