This December 22nd, attend a show by the Concertgebouw Orchestra and witness Mahler's Symphony No.5 by the incredible conductor Myung-whun Chung at The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Mahler's Symphony No. 5 - Myung-whun Chung
In February 2020, Myung-whun Chung led the Concertgebouw Orchestra's Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, a performance deemed "impressive" by publications including the Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad, which gave it five out of five stars. Now, the South Korean maestro is back with the fiery Fifth. The Concertgebouw Orchestra has given no fewer than 127 performances of this symphony, the first time under the baton of the composer itself in 1906.
It took Amsterdam’s concert-going audiences some time to embrace the kaleidoscopic symphony; the great contrasts it encompasses evoke emotional extremes. "Each movement has its friends and foes" Mahler once said. Yet the Adagietto, the symphony’s first lifeblood, seems to have only friends. According to Willem Mengelberg, the orchestra’s then chief conductor who maintained close contact with the composer, this movement was a pure declaration of love to Mahler’s wife Alma.
You be the judge when Mahler expert, Myung-whun Chung conducts symphony No. 5.
Myung-whun Chung conducts the Concertgebouw Orchestra
Born in 1953, the South Korean conductor Mhung-whun Chung embarked on a musical career as a pianist. He made his debut at the age of seven with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Chung studied conducting at the Mannes School of Music and the Juilliard School in New York, going on to serve as Carlo Maria Giulini’s assistant with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.
Myung-whun Chung conducted the Concertgebouw Orchestra for the first time in 1984 and has been invited back on a regular basis. Early February 2020, he conducted the orchestra in Mahler’s Symphony no. 9. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, concerts as part of the Mahler Festival in May of the same year were cancelled.
Concert programme:
Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 5
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 famous for its renditions of works by Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss and Anton Bruckner, and for its long-standing concert traditions such as the St Matthew Passion in the week before Easter and the Christmas Matinee. It has always worked closely with contemporary composers.
World-famous guest conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Iván Fischer, Daniel Harding and Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla will be coming to Amsterdam to lead the orchestra next season.
The Concertgebouw Orchestra has had just seven chief conductors to date. The eighth was announced on 10 June 2022: Klaus Mäkelä will be joining as artistic partner starting 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.