A monumental Eighth from Klaus Mäkelä and the Royal Concertgebouw

Klaus Mäkelä conducts the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Miriam Kutrowatz

Mahler's Eighth Symphony in the Concertgebouw

By Clare Varney, 20 May 2025

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“the journey, seamless and natural, never lost sight of the overarching narrative”

Reviewed at Concertgebouw: Main Hall, Amsterdam on 18 May 2025

Mahler, Symphony no. 8 in E flat major "Symphony of a Thousand"

Hailey Clark, Soprano

Golda Schultz, Soprano

Miriam Kutrowatz, Soprano

Jennifer Johnston, Mezzo-soprano

Okka von der Damerau, Mezzo-soprano

Giorgio Berrugi, Tenor

Michael Nagy, Baritone

Tareq Nazmi, Bass

National Radio Choir

Laurens Symfonisch

Chœur de l'Orchestre de Paris

National Children's Choir

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Klaus Mäkelä, Conductor

Chailly makes a highly anticipated return to the Royal Concertgebouw

Max Lima, 4th March

Joined by two of the Netherlands' finest choirs, Riccardo Chailly conducts a Prokofiev double bill: the Fourth Symphony, a first for the orchestra, paired with the cantata Alexander Nevsky.

*****

Rafael Payare makes an unconvincing Royal Concertgebouw debut

Clare Varney, 19th February

Frank Peter Zimmermann joins the orchestra to bring Frank Martin’s seldom heard Violin Concerto back to the Netherlands.

***11

Jaap van Zweden, Dutch wanderer, rejoins the Concertgebouw Orchestra

Clare Varney, 21st January

Leonidas Kavakos joins the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for an evening of Hollywood glamour and lush Romantacism.

*****

Paavo Järvi and Beatrice Rana at the Concertgebouw

Antonio D'Amato, 9th October

An evening of contrasts at the Concertgebouw, where Beatrice Rana’s poised Beethoven meets Paavo Järvi’s clear-eyed Sibelius in a thoughtful performance with moments of genuine resonance.

***11

Barbara Hannigan conducts the Royal Concertgebouw

Clare Varney, 2nd October

The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra puts Persian music centre stage with the Dutch premiere of Tehran-based composer Golfam Khayam's I am a tale not to be told.

*****

Dramatic French flair from Thibaudet, Mäkelä and the Concertgebouw

Clare Varney, 17th September

Jean-Yves Thibaudet’s astonishing technical prowess in Saint-Saëns’ Fifth Piano Concerto entrances Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.

****1

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Clare Varney

Clare is a freelance writer and music critic from the UK, currently living in the Netherlands where she writes about Music, Food and Culture. Clare is a passionate musician, having learnt the violin and piano from an early age. When not at her laptop writing, she spends her time nurturing the next generation of brass players, all from her Dutch kitchen in the sky. Read more at The Spidy Editor.

A monumental Eighth from Klaus Mäkelä and the Royal Concertgebouw in Mahler Festival