In 2020 it will be exactly 100 years since the First Mahler Festival was held in Amsterdam to mark the 25th anniversary of the legendary conductor Willem Mengelberg (1871-1951) as chief conductor of the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO). The Second Mahler Festival was held in 1995, exactly 25 years before the 2020 festival. This is the Third Mahler Festival in Amsterdam.
Relevant
- Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw (1883).
- Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (1888).
- Gustav Mahler himself in the Netherlands (1903, 1904, 1906, 1909 and 1910).
- Alma Mahler herself in the Netherlands (1912, 1920 and 1938).
- Mahler Festival 1920 Amsterdam.
- Mahler Festival 1995 Amsterdam.
- Willem Mengelberg (1871-1951).
2020 Program
08-05-2020 until 17-05-2020 (10 days):
- 08-05-2020 Amsterdam: Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw. Friday. Exhibition: The Concertgebouw will become one large exhibition space. Some of the conductor's personal effects will be exhibited, including photographs from the family album of Mahler's widow, Alma, as well as objects on loan from the Médiathèque Musicale Mahler in Paris. Visitors will be able to admire such things as Mahler's famous eyeglasses, manuscripts, batons and cufflinks.
- 08-05-2020 Amsterdam: Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw. Friday. Guided tours: Follow in Mahler's footsteps as you walk along the route Mahler took more than a century ago in The Concertgebouw, a concert hall that would become his second musical home. See the place where he conducted or looked on as his friend Willem Mengelberg (1871-1951) rehearsed the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO). At the top of the famous staircase that Mahler descended stands a bust of the conductor made by his daughter, Anna Justine Mahler (Gucki) (1904-1988). This work of art was donated to The Concertgebouw by the composer's granddaughter, Marina Fistoulari Mahler (1943) during the Gustav Mahler Festival Amsterdam 1995.
- 08-05-2020 Amsterdam: Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw. Friday. Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and Symphony No. 1. Roderick Williams (baritone), New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO/NPO), Jaap van Zweden (1960).
- 09-05-2020 Amsterdam: Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw. Saturday. Symposium: During the first festival weekend, the Recital Hall will host a symposium presented in collaboration with the Gustav Mahler Society Netherlands (GMSN) and the International Gustav Mahler Society (Vienna). The subject will be the literary and philosophical texts the composer used for his songs and symphonies.
- 09-05-2020 Amsterdam: Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw. Saturday. Symphony No. 2. Joelle Harvey (soprano), Sasha Cooke (mezzo-soprano), New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO/NPO), Jaap van Zweden (1960).
- 10-05-2020 Amsterdam: Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw. Sunday. Symphony No. 3. Gerhild Romberger (alto), Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO), Conductor t.b.a.
- 11-05-2020 Amsterdam: Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw. Monday. Ruckert-Lieder and Symphony No. 4. Christiane Karg (soprano), Elisabeth Kulman (mezzo-soprano), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO), Kirill Petrenko (1972).
- 12-05-2020 Amsterdam: Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw. Tuesday. Kindertotenlieder and Symphony No. 5. Okka von der Damerau (mezzo-soprano), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (VPO), Daniel Barenboim (1942).
- 13-05-2020 Amsterdam: Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw. Wednesday. Symphony No. 6. Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO), Kirill Petrenko (1972).
- 14-05-2020 Amsterdam: Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw. Thursday. Symphony No. 7. Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (VPO), Daniel Barenboim (1942).
- 15-05-2020 Amsterdam: Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw. Friday. Symphony No. 8. Soloists and Groot Omroepkoor others t.b.a. Vienna Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester (GMJO), 8:15 pm, Harding, Daniel (1975).
- 16-05-2020 Amsterdam: Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw. Saturday. Symphony No. 8. Soloists and Groot Omroepkoor others t.b.a. Vienna Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester (GMJO), 2:15 pm, Harding, Daniel (1975).
- 16-05-2020 Amsterdam: Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw. Saturday. Symposium: During the second festival weekend, the accent will shift to Mahler's philosophical and spiritual legacy. During the Mahler Forum, formidable international thinkers will explain how the composer's influence is still felt well beyond the boundaries of music. The Mahler Foundation will organize this event.
- 16-05-2020 Amsterdam: Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw. Saturday. Symphony No. 9 and a new work by Rick van Veldhuizen (world premiere). Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO), conductor t.b.a.
- 17-05-2020 Amsterdam: Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw. Sunday. Symphony No. 10 (Adagio) and Das Lied von der Erde. Gerhild Romberger (alto), Andrew Staples (tenor). Budapest Festival Orchestra (BFO), Ivan Fischer (1951).
- 18-05-2020: Vienna: Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) died 18-05-1911. See Year 1911.
Soloists
- Andrew Staples (tenor).
- Christiane Karg (soprano).
- Elisabeth Kulman (mezzo-soprano).
- Gerhild Romberger (alto).
- Roderick Williams (bariton).
- Joelle Harvey (soprano).
- Okka von der Damerau (mezzo-soprano).
- Sasha Cooke (mezzo-soprano).
Non-soloists
- Groot Omroepkoor (The Netherlands Radio Choir) (conductor: Peter Dijkstra).
- Julius Drake (1959) (piano): 'Mahler in small setting'.
- Nationaal Kinderkoor (National Children's choir).
- Other choirs t.b.a.
Orchestras
- Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO).
- Amsterdam Sinfonietta (AS).
- Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO).
- Budapest Festival Orchestra (BFO).
- New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO/NPO).
- Vienna Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester (GMJO).
- Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (VPO).
Conductors
- RCO: T.b.a.
- AS: T.b.a.
- BPO: Kirill Petrenko (1972).
- BFO: Ivan Fischer (1951).
- NYPO/NPO: Jaap van Zweden (1960).
- GMJO: Harding, Daniel (1975).
- VPO: Daniel Barenboim (1942).
Details expected
- Das Klagende Lied.
- Des Knaben Wunderhorn.
- Klavierquartett in a. Performed by the Amsterdam Sinfonietta. With chamber music of contemporaries.
- Lieder fur Singstimme.
- Lieder fur Tenor.
- Free lunch concertos.
- Interviews, speakers and lectures.
- Reception for passe-partout holders.
Blog
07-12-2018: Posters in Concertgebouw
07-12-2018. Gustav Mahler Festival Amsterdam 2020. Poster in Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw.
07-12-2018. Gustav Mahler Festival Amsterdam 2020. Poster in Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw.
07-12-2018. Gustav Mahler Festival Amsterdam 2020. Poster in Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw.
27-11-2018: Passe-partouts received
- Printed tickets received.
2018. Gustav Mahler FESTIVAL Amsterdam 2020 *****. Ticket.
21-11-2018: Passe-partouts sold out
- All passe-partouts sold out.
2018. Gustav Mahler FESTIVAL Amsterdam 2020 *****. Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw.
20-11-2018: Passe-partouts sales
- Passe-partouts.
19-11-2018: Mahler Foundation (co-host)
18-11-2018: Composition Rick van Veldhuizen
- Rick van Veldhuizen (1994). Member of the 2011 Young Talent Class, Fontys Conservatorium, Tilburg, The Netherlands. Composition at the request of the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO). The piece is still under development (11-2018). The plan is currently that it will be a kind of prelude to Mahler's Symphony No. 9. Not for the entire orchestra, but for the strings section and harp. The orchestration is like the Adagietto of Symphony No. 5, although it does not necessarily have a lot to do with it). Duration circa 8 minutes. World premiere 16-05-2020. The day of Mahler Symphony No. 9.
17-11-2018: Accommodation
- Apollofirst hotel (already bookable).
15-11-2018: Theme of the festival
- The central theme of the festival is 'Mahler’s Universe'.
2018. Gustav Mahler FESTIVAL Amsterdam 2020 *****. 'Mahler's Universe'.
14-11-2018: Visitors
- Bert and Judith van der Waal van Dijk (Gustav-Mahler.eu Netherlands).
- Francisco Bricio (Sociedad Mahler México).
- Raymond Chan (Toronto Mahler Society).
13-11-2018: Passe-partouts sales Concertvrienden
- Program published.
- Passe-partouts almost sold out.
- Passe-partout holders will receive an invitation for an exclusive reception in due course.
2018. Gustav Mahler Festival Amsterdam 2020. Program.
10-11-2018: Teaser - Symphony No. 2
Symphony 2. Brass. Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) in the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw. Daniele Gatti (1961).
09-11-2018: Contact Festival organization
- www.mahler-festival.nl
- www.concertgebouw.nl
- E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Telephone: 0031 20 305 99 77
08-11-2018: Symphonies, orchestras and conductors
The first contours of the program in the Dutch evening newspaper NRC.
2018. Gustav Mahler FESTIVAL Amsterdam 2020 *****. The first contours of the program in the evening newspaper NRC of 08-11-2018. Interview Simon Reinink (1966) - Director of the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw.
13-11-2018: Passe-partouts sales Gustav Kringleden and Share holders
- Passe-partouts.
12-09-2018: Logo Mahler Festival 2020
2018. Gustav Mahler FESTIVAL Amsterdam 2020 *****.
10-09-2018: Ticket sales announcement
Planning for the ticket sales has been announced:
- 01-06-2019: Start sales tickets main hall and small all concerts. Start single ticket sales for all concerts.
- 26-02-2019: Start sales tickets main hall and small via serial sales. Select your own concerts series.
- 20-11-2018: Start sales passe-partouts main hall. Order your passe-partout ticket for all Mahler symphonies.
- 13-11-2018: Start sales passe-partouts main hall Concertvrienden and Gustav Mahler Stichting Nederland. Detailed concert information online.
- 06-11-2018: Start sales passe-partouts main hall Kringleden and Share holders.
- 10-09-2018: Preludium September 2018:
Gustav Mahler FESTIVAL Amsterdam 2020 *****. Ticket sales announcement.
- 20-08-2018: More information expected in September 2018.
- 26-05-2018: No new information.
- 06-02-2018: No further details available yet from the Dutch Mahler Society.
- 19-12-2017: Release of The Mahler Festival - Official website: In the upcoming months, more information on the Mahler Festival will be added to this website.
- 30-10-2017: No new information.
- 23-03-2017: The date the ticket sale starts, has yet to be announced. Follow this page to stay up to date with the latest developments.
01-09-2018: Line-up
The Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester (GMJO) and the Budapest Festival Orchestra (BFO) have been added to the line-up.
27-04-2018: Mahler Foundation and Mahler's Universe
The Mahler Foundation will use this special occasion to partner with the Concertgebouw to launch a special program to indicate its future mission and projects. Mahler Foundation is working in partnership with Het Concertgebouw in its capacity as the organisers of Mahler Festival 2020. This international cultural event, marking the 100th anniversary of the first-ever celebration of the composer in Amsterdam in 1920, is entitled ‘Mahler’s Universe’ and will feature performances of all of Mahler’s works by some of the world’s foremost orchestras and singers.
Mahler Foundation will contribute a series of events to augment the impact and reach of these concerts allowing us to highlight Gustav Mahler’s profoundly perceptive and generous view of life and art:
- Co-commissioning works by contemporary composers to be premiered alongside Mahler’s symphonies;
- Hosting a film festival highlighting Mahler’s life and works in many different ways;
- Organising a tree-planting ceremony for children choristers participating in the Festival;
- Contributing to pre-concert and intermission talks and presentations;
- Curating and producing a photo exhibition based on the Mahler Family albums;
- Presenting a 2-day symposium by the Gustav Mahler Forum exploring issues crucial to Mahler’s personal sensibilities and concerns, including the environment, cultural identity, and religion;
- Premiering the presentation of the first-ever Mahler Award, an international honour recognising an individual or organisation that demonstrates exceptional achievement and embodies the Mahler Foundation’s aims and areas of concern; contemporary art, youth culture, and the environment.
10-03-2018: Teaser - Symphony No. 1
Symphony 1. Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) in the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw. Harding, Daniel (1975).
19-12-2017: Release official website
The Mahler Festival will be held in May 2020. This will be The Royal Concertgebouw’s third grand homage to the world-renowned composer. In 2020 it will be exactly 100 years since the first Mahler Festival was held in Amsterdam to mark the 25th anniversary of the legendary conductor Willem Mengelberg as chief conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra. The second Mahler Festival was held in 1995, exactly 25 years before the 2020 festival.
Four major international orchestras
The Mahler Festival in May 2020 will include performances of all of Gustav Mahler’s symphonies played by four major international orchestras, all of which Gustav Mahler himself conducted. These are: the New York Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. In addition, an expansive range of vocal repertoire and chamber music will be heard in The Concertgebouw. A prominent place will be given to education, and use will be made of the concert hall’s livestream possibilities which will ensure that the Mahler Festival can be shared with a broad, international audience. Other cultural institutions in Amsterdam will contribute to the festival through several events and exhibitions.
In the upcoming months, more information on the Mahler Festival will be added to The Concertgebouw's website.
- Mahler Festival 2020 (www.mahler-festival.nl)
23-02-2017: Festival page Gustav-Mahler.eu
- Gustav Mahler Festival Amsterdam 2020 (www.gustav-mahler.eu)
Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw.
02-02-2017: Ticket sales
November 2018.
00-11-2016: Article in the programme guide 'Preludium' of the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO)
2016. Gustav Mahler FESTIVAL Amsterdam 2020 *****. Photo: Matthew VanBesien (director New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO/NPO)), Jaap van Zweden (1960) and Simon Reinink (1966) (director Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw).
Translated from Dutch: Official publication in New York about the opening of the Gustav Mahler Festival Amsterdam 2020 by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO/NPO) with Symphony No. 1. This is the first performance of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO/NPO) led by its new chief conductor Jaap van Zweden (1960) in Amsterdam and the first concert of the Gustav Mahler Festival Amsterdam 2020. Jaap van Zweden (1960) is very enhousiast: "Gustav Mahler, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO/NPO) and the Royal Concertgebouwl, and all that in my hometown!".
Through livestream the Gustav Mahler Festival Amsterdam 2020 will be shared with a broad (international) audience.
09-09-2016: New York Philharmonic And Jaap van Zweden To Open Mahler Festival 2020 in Amsterdam
by BWW News Desk Sep. 9, 2016
The New York Philharmonic and Jaap van Zweden, who becomes Music Director in 2018, will open the Mahler Festival in Amsterdam in May 2020, presented by The Royal Concertgebouw. The New York Philharmonic under Jaap van Zweden will perform Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in the opening concert of the festival in the Concertgebouw. The appearance will be part of the Orchestra's first European tour with Mr. van Zweden in spring 2020, the first in the Netherlands under the new Music Director, and the first performance at the Concertgebouw's Mahler Festival.
The Mahler Festival will be held May 6-May 20, 2020. This will be the Concertgebouw's third grand homage to the world-renowned composer. In 2020 it will be exactly 100 years since the first Mahler Festival was held in Amsterdam to mark the 25th anniversary of the legendary conductor Willem Mengelberg as chief conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra. The second Mahler Festival was held in 1995, exactly 25 years before the 2020 festival. The New York Philharmonic enjoys a special connection with both Mahler and Mengelberg, who both served as Music Directors. Mahler conducted several of his own works with the Philharmonic, including the U.S. Premiere of his Symphony No. 1 in 1909.
Royal Concertgebouw and New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO/NPO).
The Mahler Festival 2020 will include performances of all of Gustav Mahler's symphonies played by four major international orchestras, all of which Gustav Mahler himself conducted and which will be heard together in Amsterdam for the first time. These are: the New York Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. In addition, an expansive vocal repertoire and chamber music will be heard in The Concertgebouw. A prominent place will be given to education, and use will be made of the concert hall's livestream possibilities which will ensure that the Mahler Festival can be shared with a broad, international audience.
"Mahler, the New York Philharmonic, the Concertgebouw - all in my hometown! What an absolute honor and joy it will be for me to share all of this when the New York Philharmonic and I have the privilege of opening the great Mahler Festival in 2020," said Jaap van Zweden. "It will be 25 years since I played in this Festival as concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and, now in 2020, I am thrilled to be bringing the New York Philharmonic to the Festival for the first time."
"The Concertgebouw is very much looking forward to welcoming the New York Philharmonic and Jaap van Zweden at the Mahler Festival 2020," said Simon Reinink (1966), General Manager of The Concertgebouw. "Not only because that orchestra was once conducted by Mahler, but also because it emphasizes the longstanding relationship between the orchestra and The Concertgebouw and - of course - between New York and Amsterdam."
"We can't think of a more fitting performance for Jaap van Zweden's first Europe tour with the Philharmonic than to perform in his hometown, honoring Mahler, who was such an influential figure in the history of this great Orchestra," said Matthew VanBesien, President of the New York Philharmonic. "We are tremendously excited to be coming to Amsterdam with Jaap, and thank our colleagues at The Concertgebouw for this opportunity."
Amsterdam/New York City Art and Culture Mission: The Concertgebouw is participating in the first-ever Amsterdam Art and Culture Mission to New York City, September 7-11, 2016, under the leadership of Deputy Mayor Kajsa Ollongren. The mission, in which more than 60 art institutions are participating, is aimed at creating bonds between organizations, artists, and the two cities. After all, collaboration between institutions has a direct effect on what there is to see and do in the city and its surroundings. In addition to the artistic and economic value of art and culture, the social significance for the cities is also high on the agenda. Here, too, Amsterdam and New York can learn from each other.
About The Royal Concertgebouw
The Royal Concertgebouw is considered one of the most important concert halls in the world because of its unparalleled acoustics and wide range of high-level programming. The concert hall has a great tradition for legendary concerts by musical greats. With more than 900 activities (of which almost 80% are concerts), more than 700,000 concertgoers, educational projects, and private events annually, The Concertgebouw is one of the most visited concert halls in the world. The Concertgebouw Café also attracts more than 100,000 visitors annually. Since its founding, The Concertgebouw has been a privately funded art institution with a rich tradition in the field of (concert) sponsorship and fundraising. Approximately 5% of its income comes from subsidies. A special contribution from the BankGiro Lottery is enabling The Concertgebouw to realize its ambitions in the field of sustainability. For more information: www.concertgebouw.nl/en
12-09-2016: Jaap van Zweden (1960) opens Gustav Mahler Festival Amsterdam 2020.
2016. Gustav Mahler FESTIVAL Amsterdam 2020 *****. Article in NRC Handelsblad (Dutch daily evening newspaper), section Premiere, Monday 12-09-2016 (translation from Dutch):
New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO/NPO). Jaap van Zweden (1960) opens Gustav Mahler Festival Amsterdam 2020.
Translated from Dutch: In May 2020 the NYPO will open the Mahler Festival in the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Conductor Jaap van Zweden, who joins the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO/NPO) as its new chief-conductor in 2018, will start with Mahlers' Symphony No. 1. It is the first concert by the NYPO in the Netherlands with the new chief-conductor. The Mahler Festival will take place between May 6, 2020 (06-05-2020) and May 20, 2020 (20-05-2020), 100 years after the first Mahler Festival, which was held in 1920 to celebrate the 25th conducting anniversary of Willem Mengelberg. In 1995 was a second Mahler Festival. The third festival will be very extensive, with all Mahler symphonys played by the orchestra's who were all conducted by Mahler: NYPO, VPO, BPO and the RCO. It is the first time in history there orchestras can be heard together in Amsterdam. (NRC)
Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO).
12-02-2016: Participation of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO/NPO)
Amsterdam. Jaap van Zweden (1960) confirms on Dutch television he and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO/NPO) will be part of the Gustav Mahler Festival Amsterdam 2020.
06-05-2014: Press release Mahler Festival 2020 in Amsterdam, first indication about the upcoming festival (2014)
2014. Gustav Mahler FESTIVAL Amsterdam 2020 *****. First press release.