Willem Mengelberg

Willem Mengelberg (1871–1951) – a Dutch conductor. From 1895 to 1945, he was head of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, with which he gained a terrific reputation for performances of Mahler and Strauss. In 1898, Grieg organised a festival in Bergen, to which he invited Mengelberg and his orchestra. Thus Norwegians had their first opportunity to listen to works by their composers (Svendsen, Selmer, Sinding, Nordraak and Grieg) in the finest interpretations.