The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra was founded in 1888 to mark the inauguration of Amsterdam’s concert hall (the Concertgebouw). Wilhelm Mengelberg, who led the orchestra through its first half-century, decisively shaped its identity. “Truly splendid, full of youthful freshness and enthusiasm,” was Richard Strauss’s description of the orchestra in 1897. Dozens of composers have come to Amsterdam ever since to perform with the orchestra as soloists or conductors—from Mahler, Debussy, Schoenberg, Hindemith, Schreker, Milhaud, Bartók, and Stravinsky to Luciano Berio, Luigi Nono, and Bruno Maderna and—in recent years—Wolfgang Rihm, Giya Kancheli, Theo Loevendie, and Heinz Holliger. Internationally renowned conductors are likewise part of its history, which includes such names as Pierre Monteux, Bruno Walter, Otto Klemperer, Karl Böhm, Georg Solti, George Szell, and Eugen Jochum. Following the Second World War, Eduard van Beinum led the orchestra as Chief Conductor and was succeeded by Bernard Haitink (1961–1988), who was named Honorary Conductor in January 1999, and Riccardo Chailly (1988–2004). Nikolaus Harnoncourt, who has appeared regularly with the orchestra since 1975, was given the title of Honorary Guest Conductor in the fall of 2000. Other significant contributions have been made in recent decades by Leonard Bernstein, Colin Davis, Carlos Kleiber, Carlo Maria Giulini, Kurt Masur, and Zubin Mehta. Since 2004 Mariss Jansons has been Chief Conductor of the orchestra—now numbering 120 musicians—and together they perform a repertoire that ranges from Haydn to Henze. Over 1,100 LP, CD, and DVD recordings document the orchestra’s artistic achievements. The Concertgebouw Orchestra is generously supported by ING Group and Unilever.
LUCERNE FESTIVAL (IMF) debut on 3 September 1972 in works by Stravinsky and Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony under the direction of Bernard Haitink.
May 2012