The Concertgebouw Orchestra opens the season with a free open-air concert in Amsterdam-Noord
Spectacular Opening Night at NDSM wharf, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra will give a free open-air concert at a special location in Amsterdam for the third time running on Friday 8 September. After featuring on Dam Square in 2021 and in the Westerpark in 2022, Opening Night 2023 will now take place at the NDSM wharf in Amsterdam-Noord (Amsterdam North), where the orchestral sounds will dance around the quay. The orchestra wishes to reach as many people as possible, hence the motto, "We're raising the roof!"
The Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda leads the orchestra in a festive and varied programme revolving around dance and rhythm. In addition to the familiar sounds of Johann Strauss II (Overture "Die Fledermaus"), Smetana (The Moldau), Borodin (Polovtsian Dances) and Ravel (Bolero), the orchestra will play the energetic Overture by Grazyna Bacewicz and the crazy Madhouse by the young Dutchman Xavier van de Poll, which will be its world premiere.
AVROTROS will broadcast the concert live on Dutch national radio via NPO Klassiek with Selma van Dijk presenting. On Saturday 9 September at 10.30 p.m. the concert will be broadcast on television via NPO 2, presented by Maria Fiselier.
With its open-air Opening Night concerts since 2021, the Concertgebouw Orchestra is travelling through various city districts, where it establishes connections with local institutions. At the NDSM wharf the orchestra collaborates with STRAAT Museum. The well-known graffiti artist Niels 'Shoe' Meulman will create an artwork live during the concert. Shoe grew up in the Concertgebouw area, lives in Amsterdam North, and coined the term 'calligraffiti'.
Opening Night 2023 is made possible by ING, Unilever and Booking.com, global partners of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, and in collaboration with Stichting NDSM-werf.