Oslo Philharmonic / Klaus Mäkelä

On first-name terms with Sibelius

»The music of Jean Sibelius is in our blood, in mine and in the orchestra’s,« says Klaus Mäkelä, principal conductor of the renowned Oslo Philharmonic, about the Sibelius cycle that he and his musicians are now performing in Hamburg. And it’s true that the success story of the Oslo Philharmonic is closely linked to the Finnish composer: in the spring of 1921 Sibelius, already world-famous by that time, visited the Norwegian capital and conducted several concerts with the city’s newly-founded orchestra. The programmes also featured works of his own, such as his First Symphony. The association with the prominent composer attracted a lot of attention, and catapulted the Oslo Philharmonic into the top rank of international orchestras.