Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Orchestra   

This world-class orchestra takes its name and its origins from its home venue: the Concertgebouw (Concert Hall) located in the heart of Amsterdam. As part of the cultural renaissance that swept through the Netherlands in the 1880s, a group of wealthy Amsterdam businessmen decided that orchestral music should have a more prominent place in the city's artistic life and set about constructing a suitable concert hall. Completed in 1888, the Concertgebouw management engaged Willem Kes as conductor and hired musicians to fill this acoustically superb venue.

Kes took it upon himself not only to entertain, but to instruct. Much of the repertoire he chose consisted of important symphonic works, he programmed very little frivolous or contemporary music. He also insisted that his audiences adhere to the standard rules of concert etiquette, which was quite different from the raucous behavior common in Amsterdam's concert halls at that time. Although his rigidity was not initially well-received, when Kes moved on to conduct the Scottish Orchestra in 1895, he left a competent ensemble and a well-behaved, knowledgeable audience.

Following Kes was Willem Mengelberg, who conducted the Concertgebouw Orchestra for nearly 50 years and honed the group into a polished ensemble. Mengelberg's affinity for the music of Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler and his reputation for adherence to the composer's intentions brought a wonderful sensitivity to the orchestra's performances. His rehearsal technique was musically demanding and highly disciplined, which allowed him to draw exciting and highly interpretive performances from the ensemble, thrilling Concertgebouw audiences. His energetic conducting style was widely acclaimed, and his insistence that the orchestra make recordings helped bring the ensemble to the world's attention. Although his interpretive approach sometimes overshadowed the orchestra's repertoire, Mengelberg made the Concertgebouw a "musical as well as architectural landmark."

After the war, management of the orchestra was taken over by the Dutch government and placed under the direction of Eduard van Beinum. His personable character and cooperative rehearsal technique brought out the best in the orchestra's members. This was most evident in the fluidity and inter-sectional sensitivity that characterized the Concertgebouw's postwar sound. Van Beinum also broadened the ensemble's repertoire to include contemporary works, especially those of Dutch composers, which not only brought new depth to orchestra's musical abilities, but also buoyed pride in the war-torn nation's native sons.

After the shock of Van Beinum's sudden death during a rehearsal in 1959, Bernard Haitink and Eugen Jochum shared the Concertgebouw podium until Haitink shouldered the full responsibility as chief conductor in 1964. Under Haitink's direction, it recorded and toured extensively. He established the Concertgebouw Orchestra Chorus, directed by Arthur Oldham, in 1980. He shared the podium with many distinguished guest conductors, such as Colin Davis, Antál Dorati, and Kiril Kondrashin, who was the orchestra's co-conductor from 1979 until his death in 1981. Haitink also began a long-term collaboration with Baroque and Classical music specialist Niklaus Harnoncourt, which led to significant refinement in the Concertgebouw's performances of works from these periods. This was especially notable in the orchestra's annual performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion each Easter Sunday; a tradition since 1899. In addition, Haitink presided over the ensemble's 100th anniversary celebration, which included six performances of Mahler's Symphony No. 8 that delighted audiences. Haitink stepped down from his long tenure as chief conductor at the end of the 1988-1989 season and was replaced by Riccardo Chailly, who was a frequent and well-loved Concertgebouw guest conductor during Haitink's reign. Chailly departed in 2004 and was replaced by Mariss Jansons.

© Corie Stanton Root, All Music Guide