Kirill Petrenko and the Berliner Philharmoniker: Symphony No. 9

Kirill Petrenko and the Berliner Philharmoniker

One of the world's most legendary orchestras, the Berliner Philharmoniker, has been led by Kirill Petrenko for several years. Die Welt called him 'the world's most unknown famous conductor' upon his appointment. Petrenko hardly ever gives interviews, so he can focus on the music. Today, that music comes from a man who once also conducted the Berliner Philharmoniker: Gustav Mahler. You will hear the Ninth Symphony.

Mahler's Symphony No. 9

'Youth gone, love blown away', Mahler noted in the score of his Ninth Symphony. The Ninth treats extremes like no other work in his 'small family' of symphonies. It is a farewell to life but at the same time, an ode to its beauty. Presence, absence, even of sounds: Mahler plays with them, with picture-perfect results. Sometimes called the 'completion of Romanticism', the symphony was the last one Mahler would complete.

Mahler Festival

From 9 to 18 May 2025, Het Concertgebouw is organizing a major Mahler Festival for the third time. After the Mahler Festivities in 1920 and 1995, all of Mahler's symphonies will be heard again in the Main Hall. Among others, they will be performed by the Budapest Festival Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Concertgebouw Orchestra, which was once conducted by Mahler himself. A selection of top soloists and choirs, led by conductors such as Iván Fischer and Jaap van Zweden, devote themselves to these monumental works. More information about the Mahler Festival can be found here.

Amsterdam 750

On 27 October 2025, Amsterdam will celebrate its 750th anniversary, marking a year-long celebration. Starting on 27 October 2024, a jubilee year full of activities for all Amsterdammers begins.