Concertgebouw
The Concertgebouw is a building with several concert halls, located on Van Baerlestraat in Amsterdam.
Concertgebouw, mei 1933
Vervaardiger onbekend. Stadsarchief Amsterdam Copyright: Publiek domein
Address: Van Baerlestraat 98, Amsterdam.[1]
The first concert in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw was on the occasion of the opening on 11 April 1888, with 120 musicians and five hundred choir members.[2] In addition to concerts, numerous meetings took place in the building. Political organizations such as the CPN (Dutch Communist Party) ,[3] the NSB (National-Socialist Movement),[4] Eenheid door Democratie (Unity through Democracy),[5] the Nederlandsche Zionistenbond (Dutch Zionist Union)[6] and Nederlandsche Unie (Dutch Union)[7] held meetings there. The ANWB (Royal Dutch Touring Club)[8] and the dubious Winterhulp (Winter Aid)[9] also met there.
During the German occupation, conductor Willem Mengelberg continued to give concerts in the presence of high-ranking Nazi leaders, such as Reichskommissar Arthur Seyss-Inquart. And even though he was committed to his Jewish orchestra members, Mengelberg was severely punished after 1945 for his collaboration with the Germans: he was banned from conducting and his Dutch passport was taken away.[10]
Bep Voskuijl attended two concerts in the Concertgebouw, early 1944.[11]
Footnotes
- ^ Algemeen Adresboek der stad Amsterdam. 85ste jaargang, 1938-1939, Amsterdam: Ellerman, Harms & Co., p. 1560.
- ^ See: Wikipedia: Concertgebouw (Amsterdam).
- ^ Foto voorpagina, De Tribune, 4 mei 1936.
- ^ “N.S.B.-vergadering”, Algemeen Handelsblad, 6 november 1934, ochtendeditie.
- ^ “Eenheid door Democratie”, De Tribune, 22 januari 1937.
- ^ “Herdenkings-bijeenkomst van den Nederlandschen Zionistenbond”, Nieuw Israëlietisch Weekblad, 3 november 1939
- ^ “Openbare vergadering Nederlandsche Unie”, De Tijd, 7 augustus 1940.
- ^ “Het gouden feest van den A.N.W.B.”, Het Vaderland, 1 juli 1933, avondeditie.
- ^ “Winterhulp Nederland vraaagt een offer”, Nieuws van den Dag, 15 oktober 1942.
- ^ Bianca Stigter, Atlas van een bezette stad: Amsterdam 1940-1945, Amsterdam: Atlas Contact, 2019, p. 329-330. Also see: Wikipedia: Willem Mengelberg.
- ^ Anne Frank, Diary Version A, 15 March 1944, in: The Collected Works, transl. from the Dutch by Susan Massotty, London [etc.]: Bloomsbury Continuum, 2019.