Netherlands Philharmonic

The orchestra can be heard at the most beautiful classical concert stage in the world: the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. But the orchestra also plays in other concert halls with great pleasure. As the orchestra of De Nationale Opera, the orchestra - together with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra - is internationally counted among the best opera orchestras.

The Netherlands Philharmonic was formed in 1985 from three different orchestras: the Utrecht Symphony Orchestra, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and the Amsterdam Philharmonic. The latter orchestra was founded in 1953 by conductor Anton Kersjes. He managed to attract a new audience to the concert halls. Not only because he could be seen weekly on KRO television, but also because he played the “golden masterpieces” with the orchestra. Kersjes could not only conduct, he also wound the audience around his fingers with his infectious stories about classical music.

From the founding of the Netherlands Philharmonic in 1985 through 2002, Hartmut Haenchen was chief conductor. Haenchen was succeeded by Yakov Kreizberg in 2003. After his death in 2011, the chief conductorship was taken over by Marc Albrecht beginning with the 2011-2012 season. Marc Albrecht's arrival came a year before the Netherlands Philharmonic moved from the Beurs van Berlage to the NedPhO-Dome in Amsterdam East. There the orchestra rehearses for concerts at The Royal Concertgebouw, Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, The National Opera and other major venues at home and abroad. In 2020, Albrecht retired as chief conductor of the orchestra after ten years. As of season 2021-2022, Lorenzo Viotti will be the chief conductor of both the Netherlands Philharmonic and De Nationale Opera.

Chief conductor Lorenzo Viotti

Since season 2021-2022, Lorenzo Viotti has been chief conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic and De Nationale Opera. In his first season, he led the orchestra in Mahler's Fifth Symphony , about which Trouw wrote: 'You looked out of your ears in this muscular performance full of sharp contrasts. The NedPhO was in gleaming top form, audibly pleased and taken with such a magnetizing chief.' Lorenzo Viotti has committed himself to the Netherlands Philharmonic as principal conductor until the 2024-2025 season and, to our mutual delight, has also already committed himself to returning as guest conductor at operas and concerts of the orchestra in subsequent seasons.

The orchestra of The National Opera

Since its founding in 1985, the Netherlands Philharmonic and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra have been the permanent orchestras of De Nationale Opera, with chief conductor Hartmut Haenchen as the first chief conductor in this special double role. The special position was continued from 2011 to 2020 by Marc Albrecht. From season 2020-2021, Lorenzo Viotti will be the chief conductor of both bodies. Recently, the orchestra made a deep impression with the operas Oedipe by Enuscu, Tristan und Isolde by Wagner, Gianni Schicchi by Puccini and Eine florentinische Tragödie by Zemlinsky.

Over the years, the orchestra established a true Mahler tradition and to this day the works of this brilliant composer are given a prominent place in its programming. 'The Netherlands Philharmonic definitely has a feel for the style of late Romanticism and the early twentieth century. The musicians understand the language of Gustav Mahler,' former principal conductor Marc Albrecht said of the orchestra's special connection to the Austrian composer. Besides Mahler, it is the other composers from the late Romantic period with whom the orchestra makes a great impression. Think Brahms and Bruckner on the concert stage and Strauss and Wagner in opera.