Mahler Festival in Amsterdam | May 8–18, 2025

From 8 to 18 May 2025, the Royal Concertgebouw will host the third Mahler Festival in its history. As a grand tribute to the composer, orchestras from around the world will come together in Amsterdam, 105 years after the first Mahler Festival. During this eleven-day event, all the composer’s symphonies and songs will be performed.

The festival will open on the 8^h of May with a special theatrical concert Dear Mahler, featuring the Netherlands Philharmonic led by chief-conductor Lorenzo Viotti.

The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, conducted by Klaus Mäkelä, will start the symphonic cycle on May 9^th performing Mahler’s First Symphony. Later in the festival, the orchestra will present Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, the Symphony of a Thousand.

Jaap van Zweden will lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in performances of Symphonies No. 6 and No. 7. The acclaimed Berlin Philharmonic, will perform Mahler’s Ninth Symphony under the baton of chief-conductor Kirill Petrenko and Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde under the baton of Daniel Barenboim.

Tokyo’s NHK Symphony Orchestra will visit Europe specifically for the festival, under the direction of chief conductor Fabio Luisi, performing Symphonies No. 3 and No. 4. The renowned Iván Fischer will complete the line-up with his Budapest Festival Orchestra, presenting Symphonies No. 2 and No. 5.

Pianist Julius Drake will also accompany various young singers in performances of Mahler’s song repertoire in the Recital Hall, among others mezzo-sopranos Feride Büyükdenktas and Fleur Barron will perform. The Chianti Ensemble plays Mahlers Piano Quartet in a minor.

Before the concerts there will be Mahlers Talks by Morten Solvik, providing an in depth introduction to the symphonies, of the international Mahler Foundation. After various concerts visitors can continue their evening at Mahler Late Night, an after talk in the Recital Hall with conductors and musicians of various orchestras in the recital hall.

In the foyers and hallways The Concertgebouw presents photos of Mahler visiting the Netherlands. And of course visitors can see the is the famous buste of Mahler that is on permanent display at The Concertgebouw. This buste was made by his daughter Anna, and offered by her daughter Marina at the Mahler Festival in 1995 to The Concertgebouw.

Free livestreaming: Mahler Nights at the Museum Square of Amsterdam

The Mahler Festival in Amsterdam can be followed free of charge from 8 to 18 May during the Mahler Nights on Museumplein (Museum Square). Each evening, 2,000 visitors can enjoy live broadcasts of the concerts on a 10-meter-wide LED screen, complemented by an immersive audio system. The broadcasts of each symphony is preceded by an episode of the documentary series Mahlers Universe, created for The Concertgebouw and the International Mahler Foundation. All symphonies will also be broadcasted in the Netherlands by the Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS via television, radio and streaming.

Rijksmuseum, EYE Filmmuseum, Symphonic Cinema and others join the festivities

Beyond the 23 concerts, the festival offers a rich cultural program throughout the city. The Rijksmuseum will present a special exhibition related to Mahler, featuring the original Manuscript of the Seventh symphony (a gift of Alma Mahler to The Concertgebouw at the 1920 Mahler Festival) and never-displayed photos from the personal archive of Alphons Diepenbrock, a personal friend of Gustav Mahler.

The Rijksmuseum will also host the concert Mahlers plays Mahler. In 1905 Mahler briefly took his seat behind the piano in the factory of M. Welte & Sohn in Leipzig so that his playing could be recorded on piano rolls. In this way, Mahler's own renditions of two songs and excerpts from the Fourth and Fifth symphonies have been preserved. Alongside this you will hear the composer as an accompanist in a number of songs, sung by soprano Jeannette van Schaik. The curators of Piano Museum and the Rijksmuseum music department will provide an introduction.

The EYE Filmmuseum will feature screenings of various documentaries exploring the composer’s life and work. Among other films by Frank Scheffer the musuem presents Conducting Mahler featuring interviews with the conductors of the Mahler Festival in 1995: Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly, Claudio Abbado, Ricardo Mutti en Simon Rattle.

Mahler aficionados can also experience Mahler Walks through the Concertgebouw neighborhood, tracing the composer’s footsteps together with Concertgebouworkest percussionist Herman Rieken. He will share his own experiences with the Concertgebouworkest playing Mahler and he will show the places Mahler visited during his stays in Amsterdam

Theater Amsterdam will host Symphonic Cinema concerts. Film maker Lucas van Woerkum created silent films on the soundtrack of classical music. In The Echo of Being, he interweaves movements from Mahler's Second, Fourth, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Symphony with a cinematic story about Gustav and Alma Mahler and their daughter Maria. Leading roles are played by Amira Casar (Call Me by Your Name) and Greg Wise (The Crown).

Mahler and 'his second musical home'

Composer and conductor Gustav Mahler had a complex yet profound connection with The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Amsterdam. Despite initially shuddering at the city—he once asked composer Alphons Diepenbrock how anyone could live in a place “where it always rains and there’s so much noise”—Mahler would come to regard Amsterdam as his second musical home.

Mahler’s appreciation had little to do with the city’s canals or harbors, which he often found overwhelming. Instead, he cherished Amsterdam for its audience and orchestra, who truly understood his music.

This bond was shaped by Willem Mengelberg, chief conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Mengelberg invited Mahler to Amsterdam in 1903 to conduct his Third Symphony. Known for his perfectionism, Mahler was astonished by the orchestra’s preparation:

“I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears when they unleashed my Third. The orchestra is outstanding and very well prepared.”

The audience’s reception further deepened his admiration. After a triumphant performance, Mahler wrote to Mengelberg:

“I feel like I have found a second musical home in Amsterdam.”

Mahler’s connection to Amsterdam grew stronger with each visit, as The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra provided the perfect setting for his revolutionary sound. This enduring relationship was celebrated with the first Mahler Festival in 1920, organized by Mengelberg. Amsterdam’s love for Mahler only deepened, leading to the 1995 Mahler Festival, where the world’s finest orchestras gathered to perform Mahler’s complete symphonic works in chronological order.

Now, with the upcoming 2025 Mahler Festival, The Concertgebouw continues its legacy as a center for Mahler’s art.

Simon Reinink, General Director of The Concertgebouw:

'This Mahler Festival brings the very best of the international classical music world from Asia, Europe, and the United States to the Concertgebouw—a once-in-a-lifetime experience. With the free livestreams in the Mahler Pavilion, we make these unique concerts accessible to everyone.'

Marina Mahler, granddaughter of the composer:

‘It’s very special to see the Concertgebouw paying tribute to Mahler’s universe in Amsterdam, a city Mahler truly loved and that honoured him in his lifetime and continues to do so today.'

Klaus Mäkelä, conductor Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra:

'There is a Mahler symphony for everyone. Through his music, he engages in a genuine conversation with you. With Mahler, you are free to be yourself. He does not judge. That is incredibly important, especially in 2025.'

Jaap van Zweden, conductor Chicago Symphony Orchestra:

'Since the previous Mahler Festival in 1995, there has been a significant expansion in the performers of his works. A large part of the world is now involved, turning this festival into a kind of universal tribute to his talent.'

Fabio Luisi, chief conductor NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo:

'The NHK Symphony Orchestra was the first orchestrain the world to make an electrical recording of a Mahler symphony. In 1930, it captured the Fourth Symphony. That moment marked the beginning of a long and profound connection with the composer.'

Iván Fischer, chief conductor Budapest Festival Orchestra:

'Mahler’s Second Symphony expresses his childlike, naïve yet irresistible optimism about eternal life: stop complaining, you dull pessimists! Come, let Mahler’s music change your life!'

Kirill Petrenko, chief conductor Berlin Philharmonic:

'The Ninth Symphony is a visionary work, especially because of its impact on the future. For anyone performing this musical testament, it presents a unique challenge. I am very much looking forward to presenting our interpretation with the Berlin Philharmonic at the Mahler Festival.'

Daniel Barenboim, conductor Berlin Philharmonic:

‘Neither The Song of the Earth nor his Tenth Symphony had been performed in public when Mahler died in 1911. In fact, the existence of sketches of this last symphony was hardly known. It’s a wonderful piece that I’ve often had the pleasure of conducting. Today, it’s as important to the development of music as when it was first composed and performed. The Tenth is and remains music of the future.’

Mahler Festival 2025 8 - 18 May 2025 For more information visit: https://mahlerfestival.concertgebouw.nl/en/

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