Daniele Gatti is conducting three works all connected by the theme of nature and embodying the great musical changes taking place around 1900: Claude Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune and La mer and Igor Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps. In 1914, Debussy himself led the Concertgebouw Orchestra in his Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune and was met at the stage door by an applauding crowd after the performance. Stravinsky made his first guest appearance with the orchestra in 1924, after which he returned regularly. He conducted his Sacre twice in a single day in 1926 to long and loud ovations – a striking contrast to the premiere which caused a scandal. Under the baton of Maestro Gatti, the orchestra is performing these three groundbreaking classics on the same programme for the very first time. “What a mesmerizing playing level! The RCO was again incredibly good, with a level of detail and refinement that no other conductor achieves.” (Het Paarol)
RCO Opening Night 2017: Hengelbrock conducts Mozart and Dvorak
With its festive RCO Opening Night, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra kicks off the new season with a hall full of loyal listeners and new music lovers. The RCO is joined by celebrated conductor Thomas Hengelbrock and – for the first time ever – by German star soprano Diana Damrau. Together they perform well-loved arias and orchestral works by W.A. Mozart, as well as Antonín Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8. Dedicated to the genius of Mozart, the first half of the concert kicks off with the overture to Don Giovanni, played with gusto by the RCO and Thomas Hengelbrock, an expert in historically informed performance practice. Diana Damrau’s “L’amerò, sarò costante” is a sincere declaration of love while the concert aria “Bella mia fiamma, addio” is a dramatic farewell letter to a loved one which the singer performs with great passion. The programme is rounded off by Antonín Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8, an exuberant ode to the great outdoors.
RCO: Gatti conducts Haydn & Mahler
Joseph Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major was long thought to have been lost, but in 1961 the manuscript was discovered in the archives of the Prague National Museum. Chief conductor Daniele Gatti leads the principal cellist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Tatjana Vassilijeva, in Haydn’s animated, ingenious work, before performing Gustav Mahler’s Fourth Symphony together with his orchestra. Mahler himself led the RCO in the Dutch premiere of the work in 1904. In the 3rd movement “Ruhevoll”, the orchestra’s sound is “so beautiful it makes you want to cry” (NRC). With her angelic voice, soprano Julia Kleiter sings an ode to Das himmlische Leben in the finale. The soprano solo, originally intended for the song cycle Des Knaben Wunderhorn, alternates with fast orchestral runs. PROGRAM Haydn: Cello Concerto in C major; Mahler: Symphony No. 4
RCO: Hengelbrock conducts Schubert “Unfinished” & Mozart Requiem
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Thomas Hengelbrock present a fine selection of incomplete works by Schubert and Mozart. They are joined by Hengelbrock’s Balthasar-Neumann-Chor, “one of the world’s best choirs” (Gramophone), and by four proficient soloists. Performed one year after his death, the whole concert is dedicated to conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt, RCO’s Honorary Guest Conductor from 1975 to 2013. According to Hengelbrock, being Harnoncourt’s pupil was a path-breaking experience. The encore “Komm o Tod, du Schlafes Bruder”, the very first Bach-chorale Hengelbrock and Harnoncourt performed together, is a deeply moving finale to a concert night “of radiant beauty” (NRC). PROGRAM Schubert: Stabat mater; Symphony No.8 ‘Unfinished’, W.A. Mozart: Requiem
Mariss Jansons – The Farewell Concert
For one last time, Mariss Jansons – who will bear the title of conductor emeritus as of now – descends down the red carpeted stairs of the Great Hall as Principal Conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. After his resignation, this concert turnes out to be his last in this capacity. The final performance assisted by Thomas Hampson is part of the AAA Festival based on the theme “Origins – Folk Art as Inspiration”, an adventurous series exploring composers inspired by folk music. PROGRAM Mahler: “Des Knaben Wunderhorn”; Copland: “Old American Songs”; Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra; Padding: Ick seg adieu (World premiere)
RCO: Kerstmatinee 2017 – Bach: Mass in B minor
The RCO’s annual “Kerstmatinee” (Christmas Matinee) has become a much loved holiday tradition. For this edition, the orchestra, led by Philippe Herreweghe, performs J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor, one of the gems of his oeuvre – for the first time in 45 years! The choir Collegium Vocale Gent shares the stage with outstanding soloists Dorothee Mields, Hana Blažikova, Alex Potter, Robin Tritschler and Krešimir Stražanac. Often referred to as Bach’s “Hohe Messe” (High Mass), the full-scale Catholic mass was given this name in the 19th century to distinguish it from the Baroque composer’s other, small masses. Why the Lutheran Bach decided to create a Catholic mass late in life, remains unclear; what is evident, however, is that his work is nothing less than a monumental masterpiece. Herreweghe’s Mass is “grand and yet moving!” (Het Parool)
RCO: Daniele Gatti conducts Mahler Symphony No. 2
For his first series of concerts as Chief Conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Italian maestro Daniele Gatti conducts the iconic Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection”, by Gustav Mahler, in a spirited performance. Gatti and the RCO are joined by German soprano Annette Dasch and Scottish mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill. “Gatti’s magic” (Trouw) makes clear that “a new era has definitely begun by now. Gatti is a conductor who really makes You think about what an interpretation should be like in the year 2016” (NRC).
RCO: War Requiem
Witnessing a performance of Benjamin Britten’s monumental War Requiem is an experience. Scored for orchestra, large chorus, children’s choir and three soloists, it is certainly a challenge to perform. Gianandrea Noseda makes his debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra with a work he has championed and for which he has received critical acclaim in performances and on record. In 1964, the Concertgebouw Orchestra performed Britten’s War Requiem under the direction of Bernard Haitink with the ‘dream team’ Britten had actually envisaged for the world premiere two years earlier: the Russian soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, the English tenor Peter Pears and the German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Now the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra has again invited a Russian soprano, an English tenor and a German baritone.
RCO: Kerstmatinee 2018 – Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
A heart-warming Christmas Matinee featuring Tchaikovsky’s Christmas fairy tale The Nutcracker. For many, The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’s Christmas Matinee is a fun introduction to classical music – for others, it’s a familiar, festive experience to look forward to each year. The combination of the captivating conductor Semyon Bychkov and Tchaikovsky’s legendary music for the Christmas ballet The Nutcracker makes this programme truly irresistible. People of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy Tchaikovsky’s infectious music and the atmospheric fairy tale about dolls that come to life. A sugarplum fairy, a Mouse King and a return to the Land of Sweets – it’s exactly what we need in the dark, wintry days before Christmas.
RCO: Kerstmatinee – Beethoven No. 9
Beethoven’s moving Ninth Symphony is being performed on the 2019 Christmas Matinee (“Kerstmatinee“) under the direction of Franz Welser-Möst with a superb singer quartet. Many generations of listeners have attended the Concertgebouw Orchestra’s festive Christmas matinees since the tradition was founded. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is an appeal for universal brotherhood – indeed it contains some of the most moving music Beethoven ever composed. A large chorus and four vocal soloists share the stage with the orchestra to get this key message across and the work continues to enchant young and old alike.