Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Makes 'Lockdown Archives' Free to Stream

Starting on Thursday, 1a??July, the Concertgebouworkest will be making its streaming programme since June 2020 available free of charge for one month under the name 'Lockdown Archives'. The works performed by the orchestra between June 2020 and June 2021 can be accessed individually at concertgebouworkest.nl/en/watch-listen. (See also the complete list of works.)

Since the first lockdown in the spring of 2020, the Concertgebouworkest has streamed over eighty compositions in more than forty productions - including thirty-four orchestral programmesa??- on its website and social media channels. The orchestral players performed at a distance of over one and a half metres from one another and usually in an otherwise empty hall, but with an impressive line-up of leading conductors and invariably with great enthusiasm and inspired ensemble playing. There were also a great many chamber music productions. All the streams together generated some 700,000 views worldwide.

Throughout July, the orchestra is making the recordings available free of charge. The 'Lockdown Archives' at concertgebouworkest.nl/en/watch-listen offer a stunning musical retrospective of a historic period thanks to the camera and sound crew and technicians, as well as the many private individuals and sponsors whose generous support makes the orchestra's free streams possible.

Tickets for the coming season also go on sale on 1a??July. Sales of subscription series, which began at an earlier date, have already exceeded expectations. Indeed, more subscriptions have been sold than in the first few weeks of subscription sales for 2020-21, which took place just before the first lockdown in the Netherlands.

Such leading conductors as Semyon Bychkov, Myung-Whun Chung, Gustavo Dudamel, Iván Fischer, Alan Gilbert, Daniel Harding, Philippe Herreweghe, Fabio Luisi, Andris Nelsons, Gianandrea Noseda and Jaap van Zweden have led the orchestra over the last few months. The young Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä also stood out this season, having been invited to return twice, including a successful Christmas Matinee, following his debut with the orchestra in September 2020.

It was a turbulent but impressive season for soloists as well. Artist in residence Janine Jansen was unable to perform the concerts scheduled with the Concertgebouworkest in December and March, but did return in May for Stravinsky's Histoire du soldat and a chamber music concert with musicians from the orchestra. Memorable performances with the orchestra featured in the concert streams include those of pianists Stefano Bollani, Yefim Bronfman, Kirill Gerstein, Igor Levit, Víkingur Ólafsson and Beatrice Rana, and vocal soloists Miah Persson, Camilla Tilling, Andrew Staples, Matthias Goerne and Georg Nigl. Violinist Sergei Dogadin made a successful Concertgebouworkest debut standing in for Janine Jansen. From the orchestra's own ranks, leader Liviu Prunaru, violinist Sylvia Huang and principal trumpet player Miroslav Petkov performed as soloists with the orchestra in its concert streams.

Learn more at https://www.concertgebouworkest.nl/en/lockdown-archives-a-unique-retrospective.

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