Jaap van Zweden & Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Mahler's Symphony No. 7

Jaap van Zweden & Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Conductor Jaap van Zweden has a long and close relationship with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. During the Mahler Festival, they will perform the Sixth on 14 May and the Seventh Symphony on 15 May. The latter is 'the most difficult Mahler for both the orchestra, the conductor and the audience,' Van Zweden told de Volkskrant. 'The whole symphony sits between dream and reality.'

Mahler's Symphony No. 7

'Predominantly joyful in character', Mahler himself described his Seventh Symphony. An opposite nickname of the piece contrasts this: 'Lied der Nacht'. Of the five movements, two are so-called 'night music'. While many sleep, others lie restlessly awake, listening to animals active in the dark, to the marching pace of the bloodstream. The contrasting piece of music is right up Van Zweden's alley. He serves it up as a 'subtle sampling of colours', wrote NRC.

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.