Andris Nelsons conducts Shostakovich – Symphony No. 4 & Strauss, Flothuis

Andris Nelsons continues his Shostakovich series with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with the Fourth Symphony. This complex symphony of gigantic proportions was written during the period when Dmitry Shostakovich had been relegated from the status of a national hero to that of a potential enemy of the state by Stalin. When rehearsals for the Fourth proved disastrous, Shostakovich decided to withdraw the work. Even today, though, the Fourth Symphony is performed relatively rarely, perhaps because of the great challenge it poses to both conductor and orchestra. Before the interval, the RCO’s very own principal violinist Liviu Prunaru and its principal cellist Gregor Horsch excelled in Brahms’s Double Concerto, his final orchestral work.

Andris Nelsons conducts Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5

Within the 2014/2015 season, Andris Nelsons is leading the RCO in three programmes, all featuring symphonies by Dmitry Shostakovich. The Fifth Symphony was presented as a public penance in 1937, when the composer had been rebuked by the Communist regime for producing music that failed to reflect Soviet ideals. Juxtaposed with Shostakovich’s dramatic symphony is the Oboe Concerto by Richard Strauss, who was born 150 years ago. This melodic work is dominated by nostalgia for a world that was lost forever, Strauss having written it towards the end of his life shortly after the Second World War. With the Nocturne by Marius Flothuis, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is commemorating not only a composer – Flothuis also served as the orchestra’s artistic director for many years.

Puccini: Il tabarro (Kerstmatinee 1998)

From the main hall of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam: Riccardo Chailly and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra perfoming Puccini’s opera in one act, ‘Il tabarro’. Joining them is a great cast of high-class singers. Amongst them star tenor José Cura.

Mahler – Symphony No. 4

Concert on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Bernard Haitink’s collaboration with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. On the programme Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with German soprano Christine Schäfer as soloist.

RCO: Beethoven 7

On occation of his 80th birthday, legendary conductor Bernard Haitink leads ‘his’ Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in this great production of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony.

Janácek: Lasské´Tance

Daniel Harding, one of the most sought-after young conductors of our time, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra performing Janácek’s Lachian Dances, which originally were titled Wallachian Dances, after the Moravian Wallachia region. The composition reflects folk songs from that specific area of Janácek’s home country.