With Behind the Scenes, Tradition and Renewal in the Concertgebouw Orchestra Bert Koopman is giving us a rare view into fifty years of the Concertgebouw and its orchestra. Reading this book will change how you listen to the magic of the Concertgebouw Orchestra and how you view its activities.

In 2008 the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra was named best orchestra in the world by the renowned British magazine Gramophone. But its history has a crisis every ten years. Usually due to the clashes between the artistic direction and the business operations. It is amazing that it takes truces, compromises, authoritarian decissions and rebellion to let the music triumph.

When listening to the orchestra one has no idea what fights, discussions and complex operations are necessary behind the scenes to maintain this artistic level. Board, finances and public success are key elements in a constant battle for priority.

Supervisors, members of the board, conductors, musicians, funders, sponsors and donators. Besides filled seats and raving reviews the interests are rarely the same. Artistic and business interests have to maintain a balance in a constant struggle. Money has to be found from every direction. Conductors and soloists are expensive, good instruments are precious, new music is unprofitable. Live streaming and video magazines are in direct competition with the real live experience.

Theo Berkhout was the orchestra's stage manager from 1965 till 2006 and its conscience. He has guided Bernard Haitink for twenty five years, Riccardo Chailly for sixteen years and Mariss Jansons for two years. He was involved with everything, the right score at the right music stand, the rehearsal schedule for conductors, auditions and international tours.

His memories of turnmoil and passions for renewal, intrigues and fights are beneficial to Bert Koopman's story and give us a penetrating image of a Nineteenth Century institution which has to find its way to the Twenty-second Century. After reading this story we will never hear the Concertgebouw the same.