A very special young talent: Aurel Dawidiuk makes his RCO debut

Aurel Dawidiuk, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’s first Bernard Haitink Associate Conductor, makes a stunning Amsterdam debut.

The atmosphere in the Concertgebouw was abuzz. Tonight was the night when Aurel Dawidiuk, the Concertgebouw Orchestra’s first Bernard Haitink Associate Conductor, would come of age. Family and friends, colleagues past and new, a very curious audience, and a Swiss TV crew had travelled from near and far to witness the debut of this young German conductor. His programme, cleverly crafted to magnify three distinct facets of his conducting style – from Debussy’s ethereal impressionism to Tchaikovsky’s power and might – not only created three distinct colour palettes, but paired beauty and refinement with raw emotion. As an organist himself, his love for Poulenc’s Concerto in G was the icing on the cake.

With the A-team out in force, Dawidiuk had already received a vote of confidence from the RCO musicians. But how would the Concertgebouw audience react? And would he, like his mentor Klaus Mäkelä who had been on hand all week with encouragement and words of wisdom, be able to put nerves aside and create the magic when it really matters?

The programme

Time for something French

The evening opened simply with Debussy’s solo flute luxuriating in a hazy Parisian charm. Returning to the stage with Concertgebouw organist Leo van Doeselaar, this was Poulenc’s Organ Concerto in G, at its most exciting. Crisp, clean gestures, yet fearsome when required, Dawidiuk proved to be an effective communicator. Beautiful organ voicing transported us from the concert hall into a more sacred setting, affording time to question one’s own humanity before turning the corner to find joviality knocking at the door.

Aurel Dawidiuk at his best

Conducting now from memory, Dawidiuk’s very confident opening to Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony sealed the tone. He is a conductor, unafraid to unleash the glorious might of the brass. But even the RCO needs precision. Balancing musician’s needs whilst showing complete respect is a skill he will hone over time, but for now, his beat quickly regained clarity, and phrases spoke as one. Likewise, voicing, which they had obviously worked on in rehearsal, remained in the moment with the musicians following his every instruction.

The most striking feature, however, was how beautifully everything was phrased. The trumpet’s metallic ‘fate’ theme answered by equally magisterial horns and timpani, whipped up a storm, time and time again, before tension dissipated completely, leaving the bassoon and horns to meander, here and there. In contrast, the Andantino, full of vivid woodwind colours and heartfelt emotion, stripped back the layers to expose an inner fragility. Dawidiuk, all the time challenging the RCO musicians to find the very best of themselves. And trust, forged over two jam-packed years of apprenticeship, was richly rewarded.

The Scherzo’s quirky and playful string pizzicati found each articulated accent trying to escape the confines of traditional bar lines. Precision here, was king, as delicate trumpet and trombone staccato foreshadowed strings, so quiet, that even the brass could not contain their respect. Dawidiuk was clearly having fun as just a hint of swing and sway wafted from the podium.

An almighty cymbal crash heralded the home straight as yet again, attention to dynamics and beautiful phrasing remained at the fore. He used silence to great effect, stripping the orchestra bare, again, leaving just the timpani roll to summon yet another Russian fury.

If this is a foretaste of things to come, audiences in the UK later this week are in for a treat.

This concert was reviewed at the Concertgebouw on Friday 10th April, 2026

Aurel Dawidiuk conducts Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony

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A little history

Dawidiuk shows a similar reverence to the history as his mentor Klaus Mäkelä when performing in Amsterdam. Concertgebouw organist Leo van Doeselaar is the only organist to have ever performed Poulenc’s Organ Concerto in G with the RCO. The previous time with Mariss Jansons in Berlin’s Philharmonie in 2008.