The Joy of Music

A few days ago I tuned to one particular TV station that has an exclusive programming of classical music. At the time I was watching, they were broadcasting the Christmas Matinée of 2009 at the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam. These Christmas concerts are a tradition of the Concertgebouw Orchestra started in 1975 by their chief conductor at the time, Bernard Haitink. They are always performed in the afternoon of Christmas day, in the famous hall in Amsterdam, after which the orchestra is named. In 2009, one of the pieces in the program was Beethoven's Sixth Symphony, commonly known as "Pastoral". This symphony is one of my favourites, so I stayed tuned to enjoy it.

What I didn't know, when I started listening to it, was that it would turn into one of the most rewarding musical experiences I've ever had. It was absolutely perfect. Haitink is a master conductor. In my humble opinion, he's one of the best and a legend amongst the conductors of our time. But that day, he was particularly inspired. The orchestra, as usual, played beautifully. I know this piece very well, and I have several recordings of it, with different orchestras and conductors. But what I saw and heard that day was unique: the fluidity, the elegance, the clarity, the cohesion and intensity that came out of Haitink's hands through the Concertgebouw musicians transformed the performance into a breathtaking enchantment. It was as if the players were floating on the stage, to give us an ethereal account of that sublime music. They were not playing, they were singing; they were singing a glorious hymn to nature. Pure magic...

A few days later, the station repeated the program, and I was lucky to catch it again. Now, still under the spell of what I had watched before, I concentrated harder, trying to find something that I didn't like. The result was exactly the opposite, and I became even more convinced that it was a magnificent performance, second to none I have heard before.

As a treat, you can listen to the whole symphony here, as it was played on that day. I'll bet you that once you start listening, you won't stop:


After it was finished, I was left with a thought: what makes the Concertgebouw Orchestra so special? Was it Haitink? Was it the acclaimed acoustics of the hall itself? None of these can convincingly explain their sound and the way they play. In 2006, a consortium of ten European media outlets, invited by the French magazine "Le Monde de la Musique" made a list of the 10 top European orchestras. They put the Concertgebouw in second place, just one point behind the Vienna Philharmonic. Two years later, in December 2008, a group of international critics gathered by the reputable British magazine "Gramophone" ranked the Concertgebouw Orchestra undoubtedly as the best symphony orchestra of the world. This time, Vienna got the third place. A lot of articles can be found praising this orchestra. They talk about their ‘deep, warm and velvet’ strings, their ‘golden’ brass sound and the exceptional timbre of the woodwinds. The truth is that the Concertgebouw Orchestra has an enviable place amongst the small, select group of top world orchestras. The countless recordings that the orchestra has in its discography have also contributed to its worldwide reputation.

But the question remains: why are they so unique? Is it only the technique? Are their musicians better than the others? Again, this is not relevant. In the top 10 orchestras ranked by the Gramophone critics, there is little difference in the skills of the musicians. Other people try to explain the distinct character of the orchestra by the fact that it has had only six chief conductors since its creation 125 years ago. This must have been indeed very influential, but some other orchestras of the same age and calibre have also had long running conductors. I will never forget what Haitink said during one of his interviews, when talking about the Berlin Philharmonic (ranked number two in 2008), comparing it with the Concertgebouw: "It's like driving a Rolls Royce. It's a perfect and comfortable ride, so perfect that we forget to admire the landscape around us." And this is absolutely true: it is not a smooth and flawless engine that makes our trip remarkable.

Then I remembered what I had seen during the "Pastoral" broadcasting and, all of a sudden, it clicked! The musicians of the Concertgebouw are indeed all excellent and have total control of their instruments, but this is not what makes the orchestra so special. It is their emotions, their enthusiasm, their freedom, their pure joy of making music. If Berlin is a "comfortable Rolls Royce", the Concertgebouw is an exciting Ferrari! Just watch them playing and you will know what I mean. None of the stiff, formal and composed posture of other musicians, playing impeccably like robots. These are men and women that deeply feel the music and respond to the conductor's wishes with fervour. Yes, it is their joy of music what makes them special. And by enjoying the music, they contaminate their audience to enjoy it too.

The prove of this can be found in a recording of Mahler's First Symphony, "Titan", under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. I was lucky to be present at that memorable concert, in 1990, in Amsterdam. That year Bernstein recorded all Mahler's symphonies with the three European orchestras he considered the best for the task: Berlin, Vienna and Amsterdam. Nine symphonies, three with each orchestra. Bernstein was a charismatic conductor and the Concertgebouw followed him with passion. This recording is ranked amongst the best ever made. It was a live recording. One reviewer writes: "This is the performance I have been waiting for.  All this is most beautifully and subtly chronicled by the Concertgebouw players. How warmly and generously their strings phrase the wayfarer's music: it takes a great Mahler orchestra and a great Mahler conductor to imply so much suppleness and freedom... I reserve my greatest enthusiasm for the finale; I've never heard an account like it. Their exhilaration in the coda (the euphoric explosion of brass fanfares is hair-raising) is second to none, and again it is the way in which the phrasing spontaneously sings that proves so uplifting. This is a great performance of Mahler’s first brave symphonic essay, impressively caught on the wing by DG’s production team. I’d say it is an almost impossible act to follow."

The reviewer said it all. I know, I was there and I enjoyed it thoroughly, probably as much as they enjoyed playing it. For your delight, I give you here below another treat. You can listen to the Finale of Mahler's First, as it is brilliantly performed by Bernstein with the Concertgebouw:


This little and simple secret is applicable to almost anything we do in life: if you are a good professional and you enthusiastically enjoy what you do, you cannot fail in being one of the best!