AMSTERDAM — Simon Reinink, general director of the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, one of the world's leading classical music venues, is optimistic about the future of classical music. While an aging audience is a chronic worry across Europe's classical music world, in Amsterdam younger listeners are instead on the rise. "The age of our audience is falling compared with the past," Reinink told reporters at the Royal Concertgebouw on the 31st of last month. "Among younger generations who have grown tired of social media and remote content, we are seeing a desire for the 'real experience' of hearing music live."
That enthusiasm shows up clearly in seat occupancy. The hall averages roughly 80% to 85% occupancy over the year and draws 750,000 visitors annually. The summer concert series held in July and August averages 88% occupancy. Launched to make use of the summer holiday season when the hall would otherwise sit empty, the series presents a wide range of programs beyond classical music and has proved highly effective at bringing in new audiences. The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra was invited to the series and performed on the 30th and 31st of last month, closing on the final day with Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, the "Choral."
The hall is also changing the format of its concerts to attract younger listeners. Departing from the traditional structure of an overture, a concerto and then a symphony after intermission, it has created programs such as "Essentials," which focus on a single major work without a break and add spoken commentary. After performances, the venue sets up spaces where audience members can mingle over drinks, and it makes active use of lighting depending on the concert. "People listen to music not only with their ears but also with their eyes," Reinink said. "How you show and introduce the music, and how you put the program together, matters."
The hall also runs a "Young Membership" for those aged 35 and under, offering discounted tickets, with about 9,000 members at present. Its general support membership, "Friends," numbers about 26,000.
The Royal Concertgebouw is also well known for its acoustics. The strength Reinink described with confidence is "a unique combination of precision and warmth." "You can hear each individual instrument, and yet the whole blends naturally," he said. "A warm sound, as if wrapped in velvet, is what makes our hall special."
The rich resonance in the auditorium makes for a demanding stage for performers. Unlike other venues that have a sound-reflecting wall directly behind the orchestra, the Concertgebouw has seating behind the stage as well, and performers enter by way of the red staircase that runs between the seats. "Because there is no reflecting wall, the first violins have a hard time properly hearing the double basses on the opposite side," Reinink said. "The players have to trust one another and follow the conductor precisely."
The hall's world-class acoustics were not the product of meticulous calculation from the start. An architect with no experience building a concert hall designed it with reference to the Musikverein in Vienna and the old Gewandhaus in Leipzig, and the sound heard today emerged as changes large and small were added afterward, including the installation of an organ and alterations to the seating. Reinink described this as a kind of stroke of luck. The ceiling, too, acts as an enormous soundboard, much like the body of a violin or guitar, producing the distinctive sound of the Concertgebouw.
Its high degree of financial self-reliance also stands out. The Royal Concertgebouw, a nonprofit institution, receives a subsidy from the city of Amsterdam that accounts for only about 3% of its total operating funds. It raises most of its operating revenue on its own through ticket sales (57%), venue rentals (19%) and sponsorship and endowment funds (20%). "Our goal is not to make large profits but to remain a world-class hall that is appealing and artistically of the highest standard," Reinink said.
Its ties with Korean musicians continue as well. This month, violinist Clara-Jumi Kang will appear on this stage with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and pianist Cho Seong-jin with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO). Next January, pianist Lim Yun-chan is scheduled to perform with the RCO again, following an appearance earlier this year.
The Concertgebouw, which opened in 1888, boasts acoustics and architecture fine enough to rank it among the world's three greatest classical music venues. It is well known as the resident hall of the RCO, one of the world's top orchestras, but the hall and the orchestra are separate organizations. They work closely together while operating as legally independent entities. The Royal Concertgebouw, which has a main hall of about 2,000 seats, a recital hall of 437 seats and a small hall of about 150 seats, hosts roughly 800 concerts a year.
