The beginning

During a tour of the Concertgebouw, Jacob van der Vlugt, Press & PR Manager, takes me back to September 1881. “Six Amsterdam citizens set up the “Provisional Commission to Build a Concert Hall”. They called in Pierre Cuypers, the architect of the Rijksmuseum, which was still under construction at the time, to help them get a piece of land in the Museum Quarter. In 1882, the building plans were ready: a Concertgebouw designed by Amsterdam architect Adolphe Leonard van Gendt. The building was there at the end of 1886, but due to struggles with the municipality, the doors only officially opened in April 1888. '

Famous acoustics

135 years later, the Concertgebouw's Great Hall is considered one of the most important concert halls in the world, mainly due to its unparalleled acoustics. What's the secret behind this perfectly resonant space? “Despite the most advanced equipment, experts have never been able to figure it out. That is why restorations have always kept the original design and finish intact as much as possible. What we do know is that the design is based on the main concert hall at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, which was destroyed during the Second World War. In addition, according to his family, Van Gendt was “as musical as a cow”, so maybe that's why he managed to create such unparalleled acoustics,” jokes Jacob.

From classical to hip-hop

“Where the Concertgebouw used to be used for various occasions — from classical concerts and galas to even football matches and boxing matches — today it mainly serves the purpose for which it was originally built: concerts. With a range of more than 700 concerts per year, ranging from classical, jazz, pop, hip-hop, game and film music, there is something for everyone. So you can take a seat every Sunday morning for an accessible classical concert. It also plays Concertgebouw Orchestra almost weekly, and will be the Mahler Festival organized for the third time in the history of Het Concertgebouw”. The complete concert agenda can be found on the website.