What is Willem Mengelberg?
[[File:WillemMengelberg1905.jpg|thumb|right|Willem Mengelberg]] '''Willem Mengelberg''' (born [[Utrecht (city)|Utrecht]], 28 March 1871 – Zuort, [[Switzerland]], 22 March 1951) was a [[Netherlands|Dutch]] conductor. He is famous for conducting the [[Concertgebouw Orchestra]] in [[Amsterdam]] for fifty years, making them one of the world’s finest orchestras. ==Life== Willem Mengelberg studied music in [[Utrecht (city)|Utrecht]], [[Netherlands]] and at [[Cologne Conservatory]]. He had four years of experience conducting an orchestra in [[Lucerne]]. Then, in 1895, he was given the job which was to last him the rest of his working life: conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra. He took over this job from [[Willem Kes]] who had started the orchestra five years earlier. At Kes’s farewell concert on 25 October 1895, Mengelberg performed as solo pianist. Mengelberg soon made it into a great orchestra. He was particularly good at conducting the music of [[Richard Strauss]] and [[Mahler]]. He took the orchestra on tours to many countries, including [[Norway]], [[Belgium]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[England]] and Switzerland. He celebrated his 25th year of conductor of the orchestra by performing all the orchestral works of Mahler. He also conducted other orchestras abroad, including the Royal Philharmonic Society in [[London]] and, in the 1920s, the [[New York Philharmonic Orchestra]]. Mengelberg also conducted other groups in the Netherlands, including Maatschappij Caecilia and the Amsterdam Toonkunst Choir. Mengelberg worked hard to get good discipline in his orchestra. He worked to introduce his [[audience]]s to good music and to make them listen quietly to the music. He did a lot to help the musicians get better working conditions and he conducted a lot of music by Dutch composers, helping them to become better known. During [[World War II]] he accepted invitations by the [[Nazi]]s to conduct in [[Germany]]. After the war people in Holland were very cross that he had done this, and he was forbidden to