Willem Mengelberg succeeded Willem Kes as principal conductor in 1895. For fifty years Mengelberg stood at the helm of the orchestra and was of great significance for music culture in the Netherlands. Strong bonds were forged with eminent composers such as Richard Strauss, Gustav Mahler, Claude Debussy and Arnold Schönberg, all of whom conducted the Concertgebouw Orchestra more than once. Thanks to Mengelberg the Concertgebouw Orchestra joined the highest ranks of the international music world.