Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, or, as it is often called, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra, was founded in 1888, its first concert taking place on November 3 of that year. Concertgebouw means concert hall in Dutch, and the ensemble adopted that name from the lavish site where it has been based since 1888. The building, known for its splendid acoustics, houses a large auditorium (the Grote Zaal) and a small one (Kleine Zaal).
The Orchestra's first conductor was Willem Kes, who enforced a common etiquette on Dutch audiences previously unobserved: eating, late arrivals, and talking during performance were banned. Kes built the orchestra into a fine one, even if it still fell short of world-class caliber. Upon Kes' departure in 1895, the legendary Willem Mengelberg was appointed music director. He would serve for nearly 50 years in that capacity, molding the orchestra into a first-rate ensemble and making many famous recordings with the group.
During his reign Mengelberg took sabbaticals to conduct other orchestras in Europe and America, including the New York Philharmonic. During his absences, other conductors were engaged to serve as substitutes, including Pierre Monteux and Bruno Walter. While Mengelberg was highly respected and his orchestra widely admired, the repertory tended to be somewhat narrow, focusing largely on the Germanic sphere, especially on Beethoven and Richard Strauss. But he conducted works by Gustav Mahler, and the orchestra featured appearances by Rachmaninov and Prokofiev in performances of their works.
During World War II, Mengelberg sided with the Nazis, and after 1945 was banned from conducting the ensemble for six years. That same year Eduard van Beinum was appointed his successor. He broadened the repertory and maintained the orchestra's high performance standards during his 14 years on the podium. He died in 1959 during a rehearsal, and for the next four years, leadership of the orchestra was shared by Eugen Jochum and Bernard Haitink. Haitink was appointed chief conductor in 1963 and served in that capacity until 1988. During his tenure, the orchestra made numerous highly acclaimed tours and recordings.
Haitink's successor was Riccardo Chailly, who further broadened the repertory of the orchestra, and like his predecessors, produced a spate of critically acclaimed recordings. In 2004, Mariss Jansons was appointed conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Today the ensemble consists of 120 players and is widely considered one of the finest orchestras in the world.
© TiVo
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Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 (Mono Version)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Erich Kleiber
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mussorgsky, Ravel: Tableaux d'une exposition - Stravinsky: L'oiseau de feu (Mono Version)
Eduard van Beinum, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 4 "Tragic" & 5 (Mono Version)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 "Pathétique" (Mono Version)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Paul Van Kempen
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bartók: Concerto pour orchestre (Mono Version)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1952
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphonie No. 2, Op. 36 (Mono Version)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Symphonie No. 8 "Inachevée" (Mono Version)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eugen Jochum
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Symphonie No. 41, K. 551 "Jupiter" (Stereo Version)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eugen Jochum
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Extracts (Mono Version)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, George Szell
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius: Valse triste & Finlandia - Alfvén: Rhapsodie suédoise No. 1 (Mono Version)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (Mono Version)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Antal Doráti
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Extracts of Music for the Royal Fireworks & Water Music (Mono Version)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1957
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Works
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Paul Van Kempen
Classical - Released by Andromeda on 1 Jul 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Double Concerto / Beethoven: 2 Romances
Henryk Szeryng, Janos Starker, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 31 Jan 1971
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saens: Der Karneval der Tiere
Katja Riemann, Lucas Jussen, Arthur Jussen, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Stéphane Denève
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 9 Mar 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Symphony No. 9 D Minor Op. 125
Classical - Released by Archipel on 19 May 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Reger: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart, Op. 132: Variation III
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1943
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Smetana: Ma Vlast
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Antal Doráti
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on 1 Jan 1957
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Reger: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart, Op. 132: Variation V
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1943
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Reger: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart, Op. 132: Variation IV
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1943
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo