Recording of the Week, Klaus Mäkelä conducts Shostakovich

Klaus Mäkelä has already enjoyed glowing reviews this year, including by myself, for his Sibelius and Prokofiev concerto recordings with Janine Jansen. Seemingly unstoppable in his exploration of established repertoire, Decca now brings us his powerful new recordings of three Shostakovich symphonies. 

The Fourth Symphony represents a pivotal point in Shostakovich’s life, written after he had been branded an enemy of the state by Stalin and experienced immense pressure to conform, against which he remained resolute. It was completed in May 1936, but due in part to the loss of the manuscript during the war, was not premiered until December 1961, later than the other symphonies featured in this release. 

There’s a defiance at the core of the music, and Klaus Mäkelä commands this from the Oslo Philharmonic from the opening of the first movement, yet also sets an unquestionably more inward, reflective atmosphere in the contrasting middle section. The scurrying upper strings of the second movement (which in the wrong hands can become a blur), are enunciated with seamless precision, and as the woodwind, brass and percussion join in, the balance between parts is beautifully judged. Even in the more wandering and potentially more directionless third movement, Mäkelä maintains a convincing sense of shape and makes the music speak. This is perhaps the most accessible of all Shostakovich’s symphonies, acknowledged as such by the composer, and this new recording reflects this whilst also celebrating its more angular, modernist qualities.

The Fifth is so well represented in the catalogue that it is a brave conductor who takes it on, but Mäkelä has set down an interpretation that needs no excuses. This is incisive, sharply rhythmical and dynamic playing, the opening strings sounding ominously mysterious, and the military might of the brass and percussion having maximum impact. The opening of the final movement feels unstoppable, and again the balance between parts is superb. Mäkelä sets a tempo which sits confidently between those recordings which edge towards being ponderous, and those at the other end of the scale which can become breathless. This is a feature across all three symphonies, with a feeling of ineffable ‘rightness’ and energy that is totally engaging.

The Sixth is arguably the most lyrical of the three symphonies, its largo first movement being twice the combined length of the other two. There’s a wavering between dark and light here and Shostakovich spotlights soloists and chamber groups from within the orchestra to achieve a deeply contemplative mood. Mäkelä’s unwavering relationship with his Oslo players is powerful in illuminating this. The playing in the second and third movements is delightfully characterful and impish, a lovely demonstration of the more playful side that isn’t often associated with Shostakovich but which must have been very welcome at the premiere, conducted by Mravinsky in November 1939, just as war was breaking out across Europe.

Mäkelä has achieved something very special here, bringing freshness to music that has been recorded many times and by many of the conducting greats. He is a conductor who builds a strong relationship with works through performance before recording them, and the benefits of this approach are strongly in evidence. The players of the Oslo Philharmonic respond with faultless technical and musical skill, and the Decca engineers have lived up to their reputation for achieving outstanding sound quality, with a dynamic range and soundstage that are essential to this music. I hope that Mäkelä goes on to complete a full Shostakovich cycle, given that he clearly has something to say in this music. On this evidence, it would become a cornerstone of the catalogue.