What: Christmas Matinee – Diepenbrock: Lydische Nacht; Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade
Who: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Conductor: Klaus Mäkelä
When: Thursday, 25 December 2025, 14:15 (local time, Amsterdam) / 13:15 GMT
Where: Royal Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
Streaming: Medici.tv
Link: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra – Christmas Matinee (Medici.tv)
Disclaimer
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The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra marks a significant milestone with its 50th Christmas Matinee, a concert that has become one of Europe’s most enduring holiday traditions. This year’s programme is led by Klaus Mäkelä, chief conductor designate of the orchestra, and brings together two works steeped in atmosphere, colour, and storytelling.
The concert opens with Alphons Diepenbrock’s Lydische Nacht, a rarely performed symphonic poem by one of the most important Dutch composers of the late-Romantic period. Dreamlike in character and rich in orchestral colour, the piece unfolds as a nocturnal meditation, moving between stillness and quiet intensity.
The programme concludes with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, one of the great orchestral showpieces of the repertoire. Inspired by One Thousand and One Nights, the work weaves a succession of vivid musical scenes, unified by the recurring solo violin that evokes the voice of Scheherazade herself. Under Mäkelä’s direction, the score’s narrative sweep and shimmering orchestration take centre stage.
Broadcast live from the Concertgebouw on Christmas Day, this performance continues a tradition that has shaped the orchestra’s international profile for decades and remains a defining moment in its annual calendar.
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