The Concertgebouworkest is broadcasting a Philippe Herreweghe conducted performance of Haydn and Schubert works live from Amsterdam, on September, 4, 2020 at 3:05 pm EDT.

With the leading Belgian conductor Philippe Herreweghe at the helm, concerts are always a special experience. And you certainly won’t want to miss him leading the Concertgebouworkest in two lively symphonies by Haydn and Schubert!

Introduction by Dominic Seldis

Haydn – Symphony No. 96, ‘The Miracle’

Schubert – Symphony No. 6

A feast for the ears
Joseph Haydn’s symphonies are a feast for the ears and the mind alike. He composed the Symphony No. 96, subtitled ‘Miracle’, in 1791, the year in which Mozart died and ‘Father Haydn’ embarked on a second youth: he travelled to London, where he celebrated unprecedented triumphs. Just after his Symphony No. 96 was premiered, a heavy chandelier is said to have fallen from the ceiling. No one was injured, since the audience had only just rushed forward to applaud the musicians and the composer, thus earning the work its nickname ‘Miracle’. It matters little that the incident probably occurred after the performance of another of Haydn’s symphonies. Still, the nickname is spot on: this symphony is a miracle of invention and vitality.

Schubert’s carefree Sixth
‘A miracle of invention and vitality’ is an equally fitting description of Schubert himself. Although best known as a composer of lieder, Schubert wrote ten brilliant symphonies in quick succession, none of which he would ever hear performed. The first performance of his Symphony No. 6 was on a memorial concert one month after Schubert’s untimely death. Schubert was immensely proud of the work when he composed it at the age of twenty. The second and fourth movements are imbued with the spirit of Rossini, of whom Schubert said, ‘He is undeniably an exceptional genius.’

Listen to the concert by clicking on the link to the platform of your choice; concertgebouworkest.nl or YouTube.

The ConcertgebouwOrkest
The Concertgebouworkest was founded in 1888.  Based in Amsterdam, the Concertgebouworkest is one of the very best orchestras in the world. Time and time again, critics have lauded its unique sound. The string section has been called ‘velvety’, the sound of the brass ‘golden’, the timbre of the woodwinds ‘distinctly personal’ and the percussion have an international reputation.

While the exceptional acoustics of The Concertgebouw, designed by the architect A.L. van Gendt, also play an important role in this respect, no other orchestra sounds like the Concertgebouworkest in the Main Hall. Equally important is the influence exerted on the orchestra by its chief conductors, of whom there have been only seven since the orchestra was founded in 1888, as is that of the musicians themselves.