Klaus Mäkelä & Oslo Philharmonic: Shostakovich – Symphonies 4, 5 & 6 (UHQCD dublu)

Klaus Mäkelä is not even 30 years old and has already reached the top echelon of conductors. Universal Music Japan and Decca Classics are therefore particularly pleased to release this brilliant-sounding double UHQCD of Shostakovich Symphonies 4 to 6 with Klaus Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded at the Oslo Concert Hall in Norway on January 3 and May 2, 2023. Bachtrack wrote of Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic’s performance of Shostakovich’s Fifth at the Edinburgh Festival 2023: “Mäkelä wrung every drop of energy out of the key moments… he hit the ambiguous balance with thrilling perfection.” Other critics were impressed: “In this magnificent performance, the low woodwinds, principal horn, trumpet and percussion were outstanding… the first Leningrad audience is said to have cried during the slow movement. You can hear why…” (The Observer).

Mäkelä, born in Helsinki in 1996, studied conducting at the Sibelius Academy with Jorma Panula and cello with Marko Ylönen, Timo Hanhinen and Hannu Kiiski. Since the 2019/20 season, Mäkela has performed with international orchestras such as the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra Hamburg, the Munich Philharmonic, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Orquesta Nacional de España, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and many others. The rising star currently leads the Orchestre de Paris and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and is the designated principal conductor of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

UHQCD stands for Ultimate High Quality Compact Disc and is a joint development of the Japanese CD replication company Memory-Tech and the Audio Quality CD Company from Hong Kong. Unlike conventional CDs, UHQCDs are not pressed from polycarbonate, but cast from a photopolymer and cured with UV light. Another layer of high-purity polycarbonate is applied to the softer photopolymer for scratch protection. The combination results in significantly reduced reflection of laser light inside the CD and an unmatched precise edge transition between pits and lands of the CD. UHQCDs are 100% compatible with standard CD players. Musically, the result is a sound image strongly reminiscent of analog master tapes.

While Universal Music Japan’s first UHQCD series relied on the DSD data of previous SHM-SACD releases, with increasing popularity, albums that had not previously been released as SHM-SACD are now appearing. Typically, the Universal Archive master tapes are re-converted to DSD for this purpose. UHQCDs are ideal for music lovers who want to get as close as possible to the sound of the recording, but do not own an SACD player.

Lista pieselor

UHQCD 1

1. Symphony No. 4: 1. Satz (Allegretto Poco Moderato)

2. Symphony No. 4: 1. Satz (Presto)

3. Symphony No. 4: 2. Satz (Moderato Con Moto)

4. Symphony No. 4: 3. Satz (Largo)

5. Symphony No. 4: 3. Satz (Allegro) 

UHQCD 2

1. Symphony No. 5: 1. Satz (Moderato – Allegro Non Troppo – Poco Sostenuto – Largamente – Piu Mosso – Moderato)

2. Symphony No. 5: 2. Satz (Allegretto – Largamente – Poco Piu Mosso)

3. Symphony No. 5: 3. Satz (Largo)

4. Symphony No. 5: 4. Satz (Allegro Non Troppo – Allegro – Piu Mosso)

5. Symphony No. 6: 1. Satz (Largo)

6. Symphony No. 6: 2. Satz (Allegro) 

7. Symphony No. 6: 3. Satz (Presto)