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The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Soon after its establishment in 1888, the Concertgebouw Orchestra developed into one of the best orchestras in Europe. “Really magnificent, full of youthful vigor and enthusiasm” as Richard Strauss described it in 1897. The Orchestra was granted Royal status in 1988. It has made more than a thousand recordings and is regarded worldwide as one of the most prestigious symphony orchestras. The fact that it has been led by only a limited number of chief conductors has played a decisive role in this development. The musicians The Orchestra has gained its unique international position with its ‘velvet' strings, ‘golden' brass, the exceptional and personal timbre of the woodwinds and its renowned 'Republic of Percussion', as the section was named by Bernard Haitink. The musicians are the guardians of the playing culture that gives the Orchestra its unique sound and flexibility. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra consists of 120 virtuosos who perform together at the highest level. The composers During the fifty years of Willem Mengelberg's reign, a wide variety of composers such as Richard Strauss, Mahler, Debussy and Stravinsky conducted the Concertgebouw Orchestra several times. Celebrities such as Bartók, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev performed their own works as soloists. This crucial bond with contemporary composers was continued with Maderna, Schat, Berio, Henze, Nono, Adams and many others. Mahler and Bruckner The Orchestra has gained international acclaim with its interpretations of the late romantic repertoire. The Mahler tradition, embedded in the many performances Mahler conducted here personally, achieved great heights during the Mahler Festivals in 1920 and 1995. Bernard Haitink made a huge impression with his complete recording of the Mahler symphonies and with the Christmas matinees. Bruckner, too, is a vital part of the Orchestra's repertoire. After the war, it was Eduard van Beinum in particular who drew attention to French music and the Bruckner symphonies. With his interpretations in the concert hall and on CD recordings, Riccardo Chailly made a major contribution to contemporary music and opera. With Mariss Jansons a new phase has just started. The orchestra will continue to develop its wide repertoire, with special attention to the music of such composers as Mahler, Bruckner and Strauss, and also for the works of Shostakovich whose 100th anniversary was celebrated in 2006 in a major project. In Mariss Jansons' first two seasons as chief conductor, he has conducted a broad range of repertoire, extending from Haydn and Mozart to a new work by Henze. The guest conductors The Concertgebouw Orchestra has worked with many guest conductors, each of whom made a unique contribution to the development of the sound and the repertoire, including Arthur Nikisch, Karl Muck, Bruno Walter, Otto Klemperer, Pierre Monteux, Eugen Jochum, Karl Böhm, Herbert von Karajan, Georg Solti, George Szell, Carlos Kleiber, Leonard Bernstein, Colin Davis, Kurt Sanderling, Kirill Kondrashin, Carlo Maria Giulini, Kurt Masur, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Christian Thielemann and honorary guest conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt. CD's of the RCO are available HERE and of course in most classical music record shops.   Tour dates Travel Plan WORLD TOUR 2013 Europe and the United States Frankfurt: Sunday, 27 January Vienna: Monday, 28 January Vienna: Tuesday, 29 January Brussels: Thursday, 31 January Luxembourg: Friday, 1 February Paris: Saturday, 2 February Lisbon: Monday, 4 February Madrid: Tuesday, 5 February Madrid: Wednesday, 6 February Washington: Tuesday, 12 February New York: Wednesday, 13 February New York: Thursday, 14 February Africa Cape Town: Saturday, 9 March Durban: Sunday, 10 March Durban: Monday, 11 March (education project) Pretoria: Tuesday, 12 March Europe Cologne: Friday, 7 June Paris: Saturday, 8 June South America São Paulo: Sunday, 23 June (open-air concert) São Paulo: Monday, 24 June São Paulo: Tuesday, 25 June Rio de Janeiro: Wednesday, 26 June Buenos Aires: Friday, 28 June Buenos Aires: Saturday, 29 June Europe Great Britain: Thursgay, 29 August Great Britain: Friday, 30 August Luxembourg: Saturday, 31 August Lucerne: Sunday, 1 September Lucerne: Tuesday, 3 September Berlin: Wednesday, 4 September Grafenegg: Thursday, 5 September Europe Bucharest: Saturday, 21 September Bucharest: Sunday, 22 September Europe, Asia and Australia St Petersburg: Friday, 8 November Moscow: Saturday, 9 November Moscow: Sunday, 10 November China: Wednesday, 13 November China: Thursday, 14 November Tokyo: Saturday, 16 November Kawasaki: Sunday, 17 November Tokyo: Monday, 18 November Perth: Thursday, 21 November Perth: Friday, 22 November Brisbane: Sunday, 24 November Brisbane: Monday, 25 November Melbourne: Tuesday, 26 November Melbourne: Wednesday, 27 November Sydney: Friday, 29 November Sydney: Saturday, 30 November Sydney: Sunday, 1 December