Rest In Peace Bernard Haitink....
 

Very sad news today with the death of Bernard Haitink, a great conductor.

From a press release:

"With great sorrow, we announce the death today of Bernard Haitink, the distinguished Dutch conductor. Mr Haitink died peacefully at home with his wife and family, aged 92 years old.

Bernard Haitink was one of the most celebrated conductors of his generation. He was Chief Conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for 27 years. As well as holding Music Director positions at The Royal Opera, Covent Garden, and at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Mr Haitink was Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Amongst many titles bestowed, Mr Haitink was Conductor Emeritus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Laureate of the European Union Youth Orchestra and honorary member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Wiener Philharmoniker, with whom he performed his last concert in September 2019.

Bernard Haitink has received many awards and honours in recognition of his services to music. He was Commander of the Order of the Netherlands Lion, Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France, an Honorary Companion of Honour in the UK.

Bernard Haitink’s legacy will be his unrivaled interpretations of the great symphonic and operatic masterpieces. We remember Mr Haitink not only as a legendary musician who made over 450 recordings, but also as a passionate mentor for future generations of conductors, generously offering his time to teaching and masterclasses."

Sad news indeed. RIP.

Mark, thank you for posting this.
I played his last live concert earlier this week.
One of the absolute top conductors.
R.I.P. Mr Haitink...

You are welcome. It is a huge loss for all classical music lovers...

There was a time when Haitink impressed me less than now. I'll write that off to naivete on my part. What bought him my highest respect and convinced me that he is one of the world's top-most conductors is his work with Mahler and Shostakovich. He did full cycles of both composer's symphonies. He also recorded a full cycle of Bruckner's symphonies, which I have not heard.

Thank you Mijnheer Haitink - you will be missed.

One of the best tributes to a great conductor is to play one of his performances.


Try these:

https://www.audioaficionado.org/pict...pictureid=4734

As an evocative performance and truly natural sounding recording as I've heard from a Mahler 2 - it makes some of the modern performances sound antiseptic. Released in 1969, Concertgebouw Orchestra and Netherlands Rundfunkchoir.

Wonderfully natural integration of the choristers and soloists with the orchestra -they have their parts but are not spotlit and truly blend well. Elly Ameling gives a heartfelt rendition. The performance is measured almost stately which at first seemed stilted but eventually I caught on to Haitink's plan. I found the final movement quite emotional and natural. Highly recommended.

https://www.audioaficionado.org/pict...pictureid=5512

The battle of Stalingrad 1943

RIP Mr. Haitink