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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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 -
Mahler: Symphony No.4
Roberta Alexander, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninov: The Bells; Three Russian Songs
Vladimir Ashkenazy, Chorus of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Aug 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss, Richard: Ein Heldenleben (Live)
Classical - Released by Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on 1 Jan 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann, Grieg: Klavierkonzerte
Claudio Arrau, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Christoph von Dohnányi
Classical - Released by Decca on 1 Jan 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Messiaen: Turangalîla Symphony
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Takashi Harada, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 2
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly
Classical - Released by Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on 11 Aug 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Padding: Softly Bouncing
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Jaap van Zweden
Classical - Released by Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on 13 May 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Symphonies 35, 41, 36, 38 - Posthorn Serenade
Eduard van Beinum, Eugen Jochum, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Symphonies - Released by Decca on 8 Jun 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No. 2 - "Resurrection"
Kathleen Ferrier, Jo Vincent, Amsterdam Toonkunst Choir, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1982
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Concerto pour piano No. 1 (Mono Version)
Clifford Curzon, Eduard van Beinum, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1954
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No.4 in G
Jo Vincent, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Willem Mengelberg
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Cantata BWV 202 "Wedding Cantata" by Elly Ameling & Eugen Jochum (2023 Remastered, Amsterdam 1973)
Elly Ameling, Eugen Jochum, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Classical - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on 8 Nov 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Dvořák: Symphony No. 7; Slavonic Dances; Smetana: Vltava
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Dec 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5
Neeme Järvi, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Boris Berman, Horacio Gutiérrez
Concertos - Released by Chandos on 1 Feb 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No.1/Bloch: Schelomo
Lynn Harrell, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink, Julia van Leer-Studebaker
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 5
Riccardo Chailly, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 2 Aug 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream by George Szell (2023 Remastered, Amsterdam 1957)
George Szell, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Classical - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on 28 Oct 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 2
Riccardo Chailly, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Nov 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 4
Riccardo Chailly, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 4 & 5
Neeme Järvi, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Boris Berman
Concertos - Released by Chandos on 1 Apr 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo