Klaus Mäkelä – Towards the Flame

A brand new documentary film about the Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä, who shot into the musical world like a rocket, as seen through the eyes of Bruno Monsaingeon, one of the world’s most famous music filmmakers.

The international career of Klaus Mäkelä (28), who entered the ranks of famous conductors from Estonia’s northern neighbour, is dizzying: At the age of 22, he became chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic, at the age of 24, the music director of the Orchester de Paris, and at the age of 31 he will be the next chief conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. By dividing his attention between these orchestras his concert schedule is impressively full and his stage partners are among the best: Yuja Wang, Daniil Trifonov, Sol Gabetta, Misha Maisky, Lang Lang, Leif Ove Andsnes and many others. Performances at the BBC Proms, recordings for Decca, invitations to prestigious festivals speak for themselves. It was no wonder that a couple of years ago, while giving a concert in Paris, he caught the eye of the legendary filmmaker Bruno Monsaingeon, who started filming straight away. In Towards the Flame, Mäkelä talks about his development, his studies at the Sibelius Academy with Jorma Panula, his fondness for the cello and chamber music, and his collaboration with the three orchestras in Oslo, Paris and Amsterdam. The view into Mäkelä’s musical world and the way he puts his musical ideas into practice reveals an empathetic artist with a mission, who has much to say to the world.

The film’s director, Bruno Monsaingeon, the undisputed grand master of films about music, has with rare instinct and thoroughness captured a treasure trove of work by his contemporary musicians. An extensive collection of films about Glenn Gould and portraits of such legends as S. Richter, Y. Menuhin, G. Rozhdestvensky and M. Rostropovich are of undisputed value. He has followed, with particular attention, the fate of musicians who came into conflict with the Soviet authorities; his multi award-winning film The Red Baton is dedicated to this subject. Contemporary musicians who he has portrayed include Piotr Anderszewski, Valeriy Sokolov, and David Fray. His most recent films are about the successful Arod Quartet and Klaus Mäkelä.

Director Bruno Monsaingeon will be present in person at the film screening in Laulasmaa.