Eugen Jochum in 1941.
The photograph may be dated from its appearance in Amsterdam newspapers in November 1941, the month of Jochum’s first appearance with the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam.
The Concertgebouw, during Germany’s occupation of The Netherlands, was forced to engage numerous German conductors. Jochum was but one of many German musicians the Amsterdam orchestra was obliged to accept under pressure.
Jochum’s reception in Amsterdam, however, was markedly different from the receptions accorded other German conductors. Jochum was welcomed by musicians and audiences alike, and Jochum quickly developed a special bond with the orchestra. The bond proved so durable that Jochum was the only German conductor invited to return to Amsterdam after the war ended.
Jochum continued to conduct the Concertgebouw for the rest of his life. One of Jochum’s final concerts, in December 1986, three months before his death, occurred in Amsterdam—forty-five years and one month after his first Amsterdam appearance.
The occasion marked Jochum’s 400th concert with the Concertgebouw.
No comments:
Post a Comment