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: Violin Concerto; Violin Romances Nos.1 & 2
Henryk Szeryng, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No. 4 in G Major
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: The Symphonies
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eugen Jochum
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Symphonie n° 5 (Live In Ottobeuren / 1964)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eugen Jochum
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 21 Sep 2016
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Concerto/Egmont Overture
Herman Krebbers, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Concertgebouw Recordings
Jean Fournet, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Symphonic Music - Released by Decca on 11 May 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos.4 & 5
Claudio Arrau, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1964
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade / Stravinsky: Scherzo fantastique
Riccardo Chailly, Jaap van Zweden, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Sep 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Antal Doráti
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1981
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: The Symphonies
Berlin Deutsches Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2; Rhapsody No. 1
Henryk Szeryng, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 9 Jan 1970
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Das Lied von Der Erde
(Dame) Janet Baker, James King, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hindemith: Kammermusik (intégrale)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1992
The Qobuz Essential DiscographyGramophone Award16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ariadne
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali
Classical - Released by Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on 15 Apr 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Symphony No.14; Six Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva
Júlia Varady, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Ortrun Wenkel, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1986
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ravel: Boléro; Rapsodie espagnole; Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2; Pavane pour une infante défunte
Bernard Haitink, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 8
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Zubin Mehta
Classical - Released by Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on 11 Aug 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly
Classical - Released by Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on 11 Aug 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No. 7
Bernard Haitink, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1982
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 1
Bernard Haitink, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Classical - Released by Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on 11 Aug 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 6
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons
Classical - Released by Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on 11 Aug 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo