Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Dutch
: Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest, ˌkɔnɪnklək kɔnˈsɛrtɣəbʌu̯ɔrˌkɛst) is a symphony orchestra of the Netherlands, based at the Concertgebouw
(concert hall) in Amsterdam
. In 1988, Queen
Beatrix of the Netherlands
conferred the "Royal" title upon the orchestra. In December 2008, a group of top critics invited by Gramophone ranked the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra as the top symphony orchestra in the world.
.
became chief conductor and remained in this position with the organization for fifty years, an unusually long tenure for a music director. He is generally regarded as having brought the orchestra to a level of major international significance, with a particular championing of such then-contemporary composers as Gustav Mahler
and Richard Strauss
.
For approximately its first 75 years, the Concertgebouw Orchestra had a somewhat complicated roster of conductors. In addition to the chief conductor, the orchestra had conductor positions titled "eerste dirigent" ("first conductor"), who assisted the chief conductor with programming, and "tweede dirigent" ("second conductor"), who did "what he was told." During Mengelberg's time as chief conductor, several of these first conductors included Karl Muck
(1921–1925), Pierre Monteux
(1924–1934), Bruno Walter
(1934–1939), and Eugen Jochum
(1941–1943). Musicians who served as "second conductor" included the composer Cornelis Dopper
, Evert Cornelis and Eduard van Beinum
.
In 1945, because of the controversy over his relationship with the Nazi occupying forces during the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II, Mengelberg was removed as chief conductor and subsequently banned from conducting. The ban was initially imposed for the remainder of his life, but after an appeal, reduced to six years, applied retroactively from 1945. Mengelberg died in 1951 just before the end of his sentence, thus never conducting the orchestra after 1945.
, who had debuted with the orchestra in 1929. He had become the second conductor of the orchestra in 1931, and co-principal conductor in 1938. One of his specialties was the symphonies of Anton Bruckner
, and Van Beinum made commercial recordings with the orchestra of Bruckner's Eighth and Ninth Symphonies for the Philips Records
. Van Beinum served as sole chief conductor of the orchestra after World War II until his sudden death on the Concertgebouw podium from a fatal heart attack in April 1959.
Bernard Haitink
made his debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra on 7 November 1956. After van Beinum's death, Haitink became the orchestra's first conductor in September 1959. From 1961 to 1963, Haitink and Eugen Jochum
shared the post of chief conductor of the orchestra. Haitink became sole chief conductor in 1963, and served in this post until 1988. At some point during Haitink's time, the conductor system was simplified to have an assistant conductor instead of first- and second-conductors. Conductors who served in this capacity included Edo de Waart
and Hans Vonk. The recording profile of the orchestra increased most dramatically under Haitink, with many recordings for the Philips Records
, as well as EMI
and Columbia Records
. In the early 1980s, the Dutch government threatened the orchestra with reductions in its government subsidy that could potentially have led to the dismissal of 23 musicians from the orchestra. Haitink threatened to resign in protest, and the financial situation was eventually settled. In 1999, Haitink was named the orchestra's Conductor Laureate.
made his debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1985, and was elected that year as their next chief conductor to succeed Haitink. As the first non-Dutchman to hold the post, Chailly served as chief conductor from 1988 to 2004. His recordings with the orchestra include a complete Mahler and Brahms symphony cycle, several of the Bruckner symphonies. Besides he was a strong advocate of modern music and recorded shorter works of Shostakovich, the complete Kammermusiken of Paul Hindemith
, and the orchestral works of Igor Stravinsky
, Olivier Messiaen
and Edgard Varèse
. After his departure in 2004, Chailly was named Conductor Emeritus of the KCO.
The Latvia
n conductor Mariss Jansons
made his KCO debut in 1988 and was elected chief conductor on 22 October 2002. His tenure officially began on 1 September 2004, with an initial contract of 3 years. Premières during Janson's tenure have included Hans Werner Henze
's Sebastian im Traum
, a KCO co-commission. As of 2010, Jansons continues as chief conductor of the orchestra.
and championed many of his symphonies, with an especially worthy festival of his music being the 1920 Mahler Festival. Other conductors who worked closely with the Concertgebouw Orchestra included Pierre Monteux
, Eugen Jochum
, George Szell
and Kiril Kondrashin
, who was the Permanent Guest Conductor from 1978 to 1981. More recently, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
was named Honorary Guest Conductor of the KCO in 2000.
Another factor in creating the orchestra's distinct character is that the Concertgebouw Orchestra has had only six chief conductors, setting it apart from orchestras of similar age and caliber. With what has been described as its ‘velvet’ strings, the ‘golden’ brass sound and the exceptional timbre of the woodwinds, sometimes described as ‘typically Dutch’, the Concertgebouw Orchestra has won itself a place amongst the small, select group of top world orchestras. The nearly one thousand recordings that the orchestra has to its credit have also contributed to this reputation. The orchestra also serves as one of the opera orchestras for productions at De Nederlandse Opera
.
Jan Raes is the orchestra's executive director, as of 1 December 2008. Raes succeeded Jan Willem Loot, who retired in November 2008. Past artistic directors of the Concertgebouw Orchestra have included Rudolf Mengelberg, Marius Flothuis (1955–1974), and Peter Ruzicka
. The present head of artistic administration for the orchestra is Joel Ethan Fried.
The KCO has begun to issue CDs on its own label, RCO Live, as conducted by Jansons and Haitink.
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
: Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest, ˌkɔnɪnklək kɔnˈsɛrtɣəbʌu̯ɔrˌkɛst) is a symphony orchestra of the Netherlands, based at the Concertgebouw
Concertgebouw
The Concertgebouw is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch term "concertgebouw" literally translates into English as "concert building"...
(concert hall) in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. In 1988, Queen
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba. She is the first daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She studied law at Leiden University...
conferred the "Royal" title upon the orchestra. In December 2008, a group of top critics invited by Gramophone ranked the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra as the top symphony orchestra in the world.
History
The Concertgebouw opened on 11 April 1888. The Concertgebouw Orchestra, however, was not founded until a little later. It gave its first concert in the Concertgebouw on 3 November 1888 under the principal conductor for its first seven years, Willem KesWillem Kes
Willem Kes , was a Dutch conductor and violinist.He was the first principal conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, holding that position from 1888 to 1895. He left the Concertgebouw Orchestra to take up a conducting post with the Scottish Orchestra in Glasgow...
.
1895-1945: Mengelberg
In 1895, Willem MengelbergWillem Mengelberg
Joseph Willem Mengelberg was a Dutch conductor, famous for his performances of Mahler and Strauss with the Concertgebouw Orchestra.- Biography :...
became chief conductor and remained in this position with the organization for fifty years, an unusually long tenure for a music director. He is generally regarded as having brought the orchestra to a level of major international significance, with a particular championing of such then-contemporary composers as Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
and Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
.
For approximately its first 75 years, the Concertgebouw Orchestra had a somewhat complicated roster of conductors. In addition to the chief conductor, the orchestra had conductor positions titled "eerste dirigent" ("first conductor"), who assisted the chief conductor with programming, and "tweede dirigent" ("second conductor"), who did "what he was told." During Mengelberg's time as chief conductor, several of these first conductors included Karl Muck
Karl Muck
Karl Muck was a German-born conductor of classical music. He based his activities principally in Europe and mostly in opera. His American career comprised two stints at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He endured a public outcry in 1917 that questioned whether his loyalties lay with Germany or the...
(1921–1925), Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux was an orchestra conductor. Born in Paris, France, Monteux later became an American citizen.-Life and career:Monteux was born in Paris in 1875. His family was descended from Sephardi Jews who came to France in the wake of the Spanish Inquisition. He studied violin from an early age,...
(1924–1934), Bruno Walter
Bruno Walter
Bruno Walter was a German-born conductor. He is considered one of the best known conductors of the 20th century. Walter was born in Berlin, but is known to have lived in several countries between 1933 and 1939, before finally settling in the United States in 1939...
(1934–1939), and Eugen Jochum
Eugen Jochum
Eugen Jochum was an eminent German conductor.Born in Babenhausen, near Augsburg, Germany, Jochum studied the piano and organ in Augsburg until 1922. He then studied conducting in Munich...
(1941–1943). Musicians who served as "second conductor" included the composer Cornelis Dopper
Cornelis Dopper
Cornelis 'Kees' Dopper was a Dutch composer, conductor and teacher.-Reputation:Dopper's reputation as a composer has suffered from the accusation of being 'too German' for much of his career, and still haunts him to this day...
, Evert Cornelis and Eduard van Beinum
Eduard van Beinum
Eduard van Beinum was a Dutch conductor.-Biography:Beinum was born in Arnhem, Netherlands, where he received his first violin and piano lessons at an early age. He joined the Arnhem Orchestra as a violinist in 1918. His grandfather was conductor of a military band...
.
In 1945, because of the controversy over his relationship with the Nazi occupying forces during the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II, Mengelberg was removed as chief conductor and subsequently banned from conducting. The ban was initially imposed for the remainder of his life, but after an appeal, reduced to six years, applied retroactively from 1945. Mengelberg died in 1951 just before the end of his sentence, thus never conducting the orchestra after 1945.
1945-1985: Van Beinum and Haitink
From 1945 to 1959, the orchestra's principal conductor was Eduard van BeinumEduard van Beinum
Eduard van Beinum was a Dutch conductor.-Biography:Beinum was born in Arnhem, Netherlands, where he received his first violin and piano lessons at an early age. He joined the Arnhem Orchestra as a violinist in 1918. His grandfather was conductor of a military band...
, who had debuted with the orchestra in 1929. He had become the second conductor of the orchestra in 1931, and co-principal conductor in 1938. One of his specialties was the symphonies of Anton Bruckner
Anton Bruckner
Anton Bruckner was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, complex polyphony, and considerable length...
, and Van Beinum made commercial recordings with the orchestra of Bruckner's Eighth and Ninth Symphonies for the Philips Records
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
. Van Beinum served as sole chief conductor of the orchestra after World War II until his sudden death on the Concertgebouw podium from a fatal heart attack in April 1959.
Bernard Haitink
Bernard Haitink
Bernard Johan Herman Haitink, CH, KBE is a Dutch conductor and violinist.- Early life :Haitink was born in Amsterdam, the son of Willem Haitink and Anna Haitink. He studied music at the conservatoire in Amsterdam...
made his debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra on 7 November 1956. After van Beinum's death, Haitink became the orchestra's first conductor in September 1959. From 1961 to 1963, Haitink and Eugen Jochum
Eugen Jochum
Eugen Jochum was an eminent German conductor.Born in Babenhausen, near Augsburg, Germany, Jochum studied the piano and organ in Augsburg until 1922. He then studied conducting in Munich...
shared the post of chief conductor of the orchestra. Haitink became sole chief conductor in 1963, and served in this post until 1988. At some point during Haitink's time, the conductor system was simplified to have an assistant conductor instead of first- and second-conductors. Conductors who served in this capacity included Edo de Waart
Edo de Waart
Edo de Waart is a Dutch conductor, and the Music Director of both the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra....
and Hans Vonk. The recording profile of the orchestra increased most dramatically under Haitink, with many recordings for the Philips Records
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
, as well as EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
and Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. In the early 1980s, the Dutch government threatened the orchestra with reductions in its government subsidy that could potentially have led to the dismissal of 23 musicians from the orchestra. Haitink threatened to resign in protest, and the financial situation was eventually settled. In 1999, Haitink was named the orchestra's Conductor Laureate.
1985-current: Chailly and Jansons
Riccardo ChaillyRiccardo Chailly
Riccardo Chailly, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI is an Italian conductor. He started his career as an opera conductor and gradually extended his repertoire to encompass symphonic music.-Biography:...
made his debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1985, and was elected that year as their next chief conductor to succeed Haitink. As the first non-Dutchman to hold the post, Chailly served as chief conductor from 1988 to 2004. His recordings with the orchestra include a complete Mahler and Brahms symphony cycle, several of the Bruckner symphonies. Besides he was a strong advocate of modern music and recorded shorter works of Shostakovich, the complete Kammermusiken of Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
, and the orchestral works of Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
, Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
and Edgard Varèse
Edgard Varèse
Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse, , whose name was also spelled Edgar Varèse , was an innovative French-born composer who spent the greater part of his career in the United States....
. After his departure in 2004, Chailly was named Conductor Emeritus of the KCO.
The Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n conductor Mariss Jansons
Mariss Jansons
Mariss Ivars Georgs Jansons is a Latvian conductor, the son of conductor Arvīds Jansons. His mother, the singer Iraida Jansons, who was Jewish, gave birth to him in hiding in Riga, Latvia, after her father and brother were killed in the Riga Ghetto...
made his KCO debut in 1988 and was elected chief conductor on 22 October 2002. His tenure officially began on 1 September 2004, with an initial contract of 3 years. Premières during Janson's tenure have included Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze is a German composer of prodigious output best known for "his consistent cultivation of music for the theatre throughout his life"...
's Sebastian im Traum
Sebastian im Traum
Sebastian im Traum is an orchestral composition by the German composer Hans Werner Henze.Based on the poem of the same name by Georg Trakl, it is a fifteen minute composition for large orchestra...
, a KCO co-commission. As of 2010, Jansons continues as chief conductor of the orchestra.
Character
The orchestra enjoyed a close relationship with Gustav MahlerGustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
and championed many of his symphonies, with an especially worthy festival of his music being the 1920 Mahler Festival. Other conductors who worked closely with the Concertgebouw Orchestra included Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux was an orchestra conductor. Born in Paris, France, Monteux later became an American citizen.-Life and career:Monteux was born in Paris in 1875. His family was descended from Sephardi Jews who came to France in the wake of the Spanish Inquisition. He studied violin from an early age,...
, Eugen Jochum
Eugen Jochum
Eugen Jochum was an eminent German conductor.Born in Babenhausen, near Augsburg, Germany, Jochum studied the piano and organ in Augsburg until 1922. He then studied conducting in Munich...
, George Szell
George Szell
George Szell , originally György Széll, György Endre Szél, or Georg Szell, was a Hungarian-born American conductor and composer...
and Kiril Kondrashin
Kiril Kondrashin
Kirill Petrovich Kondrashin , was a Russian conductor.-Early life:...
, who was the Permanent Guest Conductor from 1978 to 1981. More recently, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Nikolaus Harnoncourt is an Austrian conductor, particularly known for his historically informed performances of music from the Classical era and earlier. Starting out as a classical cellist, he founded his own period instrument ensemble in the 1950s, and became a pioneer of the Early Music movement...
was named Honorary Guest Conductor of the KCO in 2000.
Another factor in creating the orchestra's distinct character is that the Concertgebouw Orchestra has had only six chief conductors, setting it apart from orchestras of similar age and caliber. With what has been described as its ‘velvet’ strings, the ‘golden’ brass sound and the exceptional timbre of the woodwinds, sometimes described as ‘typically Dutch’, the Concertgebouw Orchestra has won itself a place amongst the small, select group of top world orchestras. The nearly one thousand recordings that the orchestra has to its credit have also contributed to this reputation. The orchestra also serves as one of the opera orchestras for productions at De Nederlandse Opera
De Nederlandse Opera
De Nederlandse Opera , in Amsterdam, is a Dutch opera company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its present home base is the Het Muziektheater, a modern building designed by Cees Dam which opened in 1986....
.
Jan Raes is the orchestra's executive director, as of 1 December 2008. Raes succeeded Jan Willem Loot, who retired in November 2008. Past artistic directors of the Concertgebouw Orchestra have included Rudolf Mengelberg, Marius Flothuis (1955–1974), and Peter Ruzicka
Peter Ruzicka
Peter Ruzicka is a German composer and conductor of classical music.Peter Ruzicka was born in Düsseldorf on July 3, 1948. He received his early musical training at the Hamburg Conservatory. He studied composition with Hans Werner Henze and Hans Otte...
. The present head of artistic administration for the orchestra is Joel Ethan Fried.
The KCO has begun to issue CDs on its own label, RCO Live, as conducted by Jansons and Haitink.
Current orchestra members
The current leaders of the Concertgebouw Orchestra are:- First violins: Vesko EschkenazyVesko EschkenazyVesko Eschkenazy is a Bulgarian violinist. He serves as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra's concertmaster.Born in Bulgaria in 1970 into a family of musicians, still a child, Vesko appeared as an orchestra leader. At 11 years old he became concertmaster of the youth Philharmonic Orchestra of Prof....
and Liviu PrunaruLiviu PrunaruLiviu Prunaru is a Romanian violinist. He serves as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra's concertmaster together with Vesko Eschkenazy. -Competition record:* 1991 Rodolfo Lipizer IVC, Gorizia - 1st prize. * 1992 C... - Second violins: Henk Rubingh
- Violas: Ken Hakii
- Cellos: Godfried Hoogeveen and Gregor Horsch
- Basses: Dominic SeldisDominic SeldisDominic Seldis is a British double bass soloist and principal double bass of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.- Biography :...
- Flutes: Emily BeynonEmily BeynonEmily Beynon is principal flautist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam.Born in Swansea, Wales, she began her flute studies as a junior at the Royal College of Music with Margaret Ogonovsky and then went on to study with William Bennett at the Royal Academy of Music and with Alain Marion...
and Kersten McCall - Oboes: Lucas Macías NavarroLucas Macías NavarroLucas Macías Navarro is a Spanish oboist. He is a member of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, where he serves as co-principal oboe together with Alexei Ogrintchouk.-References:...
and Alexei Ogrintchouk - Clarinets: Jacques MeertensJacques MeertensJacques Meertens is a Dutch clarinetist. He is the principal clarinetist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He plays on a German Reform-Boehm system clarinet.-References:...
and Andreas Sundén - Bassoons: Ronald Karten and Gustavo NúñezGustavo NúñezGustavo Núñez is an Uruguayan bassoonist trained at Musikhochschule Hannover and the Royal College of Music...
- Trumpets: Frits Damrow and Peter Masseurs
- Trombones: Bart Claessens and Jörgen van RijenJörgen van RijenJörgen van Rijen is Principal Trombone at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam...
- Tuba: Perry Hoogendijk
- Horns: Jacob Slagter and Jasper de Waal
- Timpani: Marinus Komst and Nick Woud
- Harp: Petra van der HeidePetra van der HeidePetra van der Heide is a Dutch harpist.- Biography :Petra van der Heide studied with Erika Waardenburg in Utrecht, Maria Graf in Hamburg and Charlotte Cassedanne in Berlin. In addition, she has participated in masterclasses with Susann McDonald and Tanya Tauer...
Past orchestra members
- Concertmasters: Steven StarykSteven StarykSteven Sam Staryk, OC is a Canadian violin virtuoso.Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada of Ukrainian descent, he began his musical education as a child at the Harbord Collegiate Institute...
(1960–1962), Herman KrebbersHerman KrebbersHerman Krebbers is a Dutch violinist.Born in Hengelo, Overijssel, Krebbers studied in Amsterdam with Oskar Back. In 1943, the 19 year-old violinist debuted with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and eventually became the Orchestra's Concertmaster in 1962.In parallel he led a shining career as a...
(1962–1979), Jaap van ZwedenJaap van ZwedenJaap van Zweden is a Dutch conductor and violinist.-Biography:Van Zweden's father, a pianist, encouraged him to begin violin studies at age five, and he studied music in Amsterdam...
(1979–1995), Rudolf KoelmanRudolf KoelmanRudolf Koelman is a Dutch violinist born in Amsterdam in 1959 and is currently a professor at the "Zürcher Hochschule der Künste" in Switzerland.-Biography:...
(1996–1999), Alexander Kerr (1996–2006) - Cellists: Gérard HekkingGérard HekkingGérard Hekking was a French cellist.Born in Nancy, he served as first cellist of the Concertgebouw Orchestra from 1903 until 1914. From 1927 until his death he taught cello at the Paris Conservatory...
(1903–1914), Anner BylsmaAnner BylsmaAnner Bylsma is a Dutch cellist who plays on both modern, and period instruments in an historically informed baroque style. He took an interest in music from an early age...
(1962–1968) - Oboists: Han de VriesHan de VriesHan Samuel de Vries , is a Dutch oboist and is considered the doyen of the Dutch school of oboe playing.De Vries studied oboe with Jaap Stotijn at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and with his son Haakon Stotijn at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam. He won many prizes in his youth,...
(1963–1970), Edo de WaartEdo de WaartEdo de Waart is a Dutch conductor, and the Music Director of both the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra....
(1963–1964) - Bassoonists: Thom de KlerkThom de KlerkThom de Klerk . Dutch bassoonist, double reed maker, music teacher, conductor and music director. Thom de Klerk was the first solo bassoonist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra from 1935 until 1966. He was successful with the directors Willem Mengelberg, Eduard van Beinum and Bernard Haitink...
(1935–1966) - Tubists: Roger BoboRoger BoboRoger Bobo b. 1938 is a renowned and critically acclaimed American tuba virtuoso and internationally respected brass pedagogue. He retired from active tuba performance in 2001 in order to devote his time to conducting and teaching. He gave what is reputed to be the first solo tuba recital in the...
(1962–1964)
Chief conductors
- 1888-1895 Willem KesWillem KesWillem Kes , was a Dutch conductor and violinist.He was the first principal conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, holding that position from 1888 to 1895. He left the Concertgebouw Orchestra to take up a conducting post with the Scottish Orchestra in Glasgow...
- 1895-1945 Willem MengelbergWillem MengelbergJoseph Willem Mengelberg was a Dutch conductor, famous for his performances of Mahler and Strauss with the Concertgebouw Orchestra.- Biography :...
- 1945-1959 Eduard van BeinumEduard van BeinumEduard van Beinum was a Dutch conductor.-Biography:Beinum was born in Arnhem, Netherlands, where he received his first violin and piano lessons at an early age. He joined the Arnhem Orchestra as a violinist in 1918. His grandfather was conductor of a military band...
- 1961-1988 Bernard HaitinkBernard HaitinkBernard Johan Herman Haitink, CH, KBE is a Dutch conductor and violinist.- Early life :Haitink was born in Amsterdam, the son of Willem Haitink and Anna Haitink. He studied music at the conservatoire in Amsterdam...
- 1988-2004 Riccardo ChaillyRiccardo ChaillyRiccardo Chailly, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI is an Italian conductor. He started his career as an opera conductor and gradually extended his repertoire to encompass symphonic music.-Biography:...
- 2004-present Mariss JansonsMariss JansonsMariss Ivars Georgs Jansons is a Latvian conductor, the son of conductor Arvīds Jansons. His mother, the singer Iraida Jansons, who was Jewish, gave birth to him in hiding in Riga, Latvia, after her father and brother were killed in the Riga Ghetto...
External links
- Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra official website
- Concertgebouw official website
- European archive Copyright free LP recording of Brahms 3rd symphony by George Szell (conductor) and the (Royal) Concertgebouw Orchestra at the European Archive (for non-American viewers only).