The Essentials series introduces you to the masterpieces you will be happy to know, performed by the world-famous Concertgebouw Orchestra, complete with a lively introduction by the incomparable Thomas Vanderveken. The next concert in the Essentials series is on May 8. Get your tickets!

Essential listening with the Concertgebouw Orchestra

In the Essentials series, the Concertgebouw Orchestra welcomes a new generation of music lovers, and the concerts typically have a pleasant, informal atmosphere. The evening begins with an imaginative introduction to the programme (in Dutch). The concert starts at 9pm.

The unique French singer and conductor, Nathalie Stutzmann, makes her conducting debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, introducing you to Brahms’ Fourth Symphony. With his Fourth Symphony, Brahms’s compositional mastery reached unprecedented heights. Brahms himself claimed the work reflected the tragedy of human existence. But that doesn’t mean it’s all doom and gloom; the symphony also abounds in spry, lively moments. At the time, one critic compared the work to "a dark well; the longer we look into it, the more brightly the stars shine back".

About the conductor

Nathalie Stutzmann is music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the second woman in history to lead a major American orchestra. She was Principal Guest Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 2021 to 2024.

Recent guest conducting performances include debuts with the Czech Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich and Wiener Symphoniker. The 2024-25 season also saw returns to the New York Philharmonic as their Featured Artist, the Munich Philharmonic, the Orchestre de Paris, and the LA Philharmonic. Stutzmann makes her first appearance with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2025-26.

Nathalie Stutzmann’s conducting debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 2023 was declared "the coup of the year" by The New York Times. That year, the French conductor also made a spectacular debut at the Bayreuth Festival with Wagner’s Tannhäuser, resulting in her being named "Best Conductor of the Year" at the 2024 Oper! Awards. The 2024 revival of the production saw the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung describe her as "a genius who makes the music irresistible".

In 2022, Stutzmann released the complete Beethoven piano concertos with Haochen Zhang and the Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as an album featuring the Glière and Mosolov harp concertos with Xavier de Maistre and WDR Sinfonieorchester, which was awarded an Opus Klassik. She recently signed an exclusive recording contract with Warner Classics/Erato, which released her recording of Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 and American Suite with the Atlanta Symphony in August, 2024.

Stutzmann started her studies in piano, bassoon and cello at a very young age and studied conducting with the legendary Jorma Panula. As one of today’s most esteemed contraltos, she has received many prestigious awards. In France, Stutzmann has been awarded the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur et Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Concert programme

Here is the concert programme:

• Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 4

Performers

Here are the performers:

• Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
• Nathalie Stutzman, conductor

About the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra was founded in 1888. Its distinctive sound has made it one of the world’s leading orchestras.

The orchestra is renowned for its renditions of works by Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, and Anton Bruckner, as well as its long-standing concert traditions, including the St. Matthew Passion in the week before Easter and the Christmas Matinee. It has always worked closely with contemporary composers.

The Concertgebouw Orchestra has had just seven chief conductors to date. The eighth was announced in 2022: Klaus Mäkelä joined as artistic partner in the 2022-23 season and will become chief conductor in 2027. The coming season sees five extraordinary programmes with Klaus Mäkelä at the helm.

Get your tickets

Check out the Concertgebouw Orchestra website for more information about the concert programme and the performers! The ticket price includes a complimentary glass of wine before the concert and at the interval, as well as free cloakroom use.