Amsterdam, 27 December 2022 – The Concertgebouw kicks off 2023 with a jam-packed concert schedule: top international orchestras such as the Mahler Chamber Orchestra with Mitsuko Uchida as soloist and conductor, Milan’s Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala with its chief conductor Riccardo Chailly and the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Jakub Hrůša. Amsterdam’s ‘chief conductors’ Lorenzo Viotti and Klaus Mäkelä will make themselves heard with the Munich Philharmonic and the Orchestre de Paris, respectively. The Dutch international star Janine Jansen will perform at least seven times in Amsterdam this spring. And there is a redo of the cancelled autumn 2020 Beethoven Festival planned with performances of his symphonies and solo concerts by the Orchestra of the 18th Century.  

Great Pianists: Kristian Bezuidenhout, Daniil Trifonov, Grigory Sokolov and many others . . . 

The tradition of piano recitals in the Main Hall on Sunday evenings continues. In January Kristian Bezuidenhout will perform a musical journey through time on three different historic grand pianos. ‘Piano lion’ Alexandre Kantorow ‒ as the press described his musical talent ‒ has frequently been a guest at the Concertgebouw. He will now make his solo debut in the Main Hall. Master pianist Sergei Babayan will perform with his ‘dream pupil’ Daniil Trifonov in a full four-handed Rachmaninoff recital including the Symphonic Dances. The lengendary Grigory Sokolov and Krystian Zimerman are also slated to perform, as well as Nikolai Lugansky, András Schiff, Kirill Gerstein and Arcadi Volodos.  

Amsterdam’s ‘chief conductors’ with orchestras from Munich and Paris  

The Dutch newspaper Trouw wrote about the ‘battle of the batons’ between the youthful new chief conductor Lorenzo Viotti and future chief conductor Klaus Mäkelä. Conducting the Netherlands Philharmonic and the Concertgebouw Orchestra, respectively, they attract many (young) visitors to the Concertgebouw. This spring, audiences will have the chance to experience these young conductors at work with two other orchestras. Lorenzo Viotti brings the Munich Philharmonic to Amsterdam for a performance of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony. Klaus Mäkelä presents ‘his’ Orchestre de Paris with one of the Netherland’s most beloved musicians: Janine Jansen. 

Great programming in the Recital Hall 

The Concertgebouw’s Recital Hall is back in full swing with top quartets such as the Jerusalem Quartet and the Hagen Quartet, as well as vocalists including Anna Lucia Richter, Mark Padmore and Ian Bostridge. Young talent shines in both the Rising Stars and Young Dutch Series: including Jess Gillam (saxophone), Fleur Barron (mezzo-soprano) and Lucie Horsch (recorder). In the Close-up Series, the Friends of the Concertgebouw and Concertgebouw Orchestra will present chamber music performed by members of the Concertgebouw Orchestra. 

Beethoven Festival  

Postponement doesn’t mean abandonment: the autumn 2020 Beethoven Festival will now take place in May 2023. With three consecutive concerts of symphonies and solo concertos, the Orchestra of the 18th Century will celebrate its composer: Ludwig van Beethoven. Alena Baeva will solo in the Violin Concerto and Alexander Melnikov in the Piano Concerto No. 5. Jonathan Darlington will conduct two of three evenings and Cappella Amsterdam will join him to perform the Ninth Symphony. 

Highlights of the Concertgebouw’s In-House Programming  

Great Pianists 

9 January – Kristian Bezuidenhout 

5 February – András Schiff 

5 March – Alexandre Kantorow 

19 March – Daniil Trifonov & Sergei Babayan 

23 April – Kirill Gerstein 

21 May – Nikolai Lugansky 

29 May – Krystian Zimerman 

June 4 – Grigory Sokolov 

18 June – Arcadi Volodos 

Great Soloists & Renowned Symphony Orchestras 

27 January – Mahler Chamber Orchestra & Mitsuko Uchida 

7 February – Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, Riccardo Chailly, Emmanuel Tjeknavorian 

28 February – Munich Philharmonic, Lorenzo Viotti 

7 March – Orchestre de Paris, Klaus Mäkelä and Janine Jansen 

21 March – City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Julia Hagen 

28 March – St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Stéphane Denève, Víkingur Ólafsson 

12 May – Wiener Philharmoniker, Jakub Hrůša 

26 May – Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Harding 

1 June – Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Andris Nelsons, Lang Lang 

Consult the complete schedule of the Main Hall on the Concertgebouw’s website 

Recital Hall 

18 January – Rising Star: Jess Gillam 

29 January – Nicolas Altstaedt & Jean Rondeau 

22 February – Jerusalem Quartet 

2 & 4 March – Schumann Quartet 

14 March – Anna Lucia Richter 

17 March – Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov, Teunis van der Zwart 

31 March – Thomas Beijer 

4 April – Mark Padmore & Julius Drake 

20 & 22 April – The Hagen Quartet 

29 April – Fleur Barron & Julius Drake 

30 May – Ian Bostridge & Saskia Giorgini 

7 June – Rising Star: Lucie Horsch & Thomas Dunford 

Consult the complete schedule of the Recital Hall on the Concertgebouw’s website 

Beethoven Festival 

Orchestra of the 18th Century 

23 May – Alexander Janiczek, Alena Baeva – Symphony no. 1, Violin Concerto 

24 May – Jonathan Darlington, Alexander Melnikov – Piano Concerto no. 5,  Symphony No. 3 

25 May – Cappella Amsterdam, Jonathan Darlington – Symphony no. 9