Bernard Haitink (1929-2021)

Started by Symphonic Addict, October 21, 2021, 04:22:46 PM

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Symphonic Addict

He ought to be proud about what he did in this field. A remarkable career, conducting a wide range of stuff and styles with expertise and nobility when needed. He deserved what he gained.

A weird coincidence: Malcolm Arnold was born this day 100 years ago.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

vers la flamme

One of the great conductors of our time. Rest in peace to the maestro.

Archaic Torso of Apollo

I'm glad I was able to hear him live a few times. One of the best, steadiest and most reliable conductors of the last several decades. I haven't counted but I may have more recordings by him than any other conductor.
formerly VELIMIR (before that, Spitvalve)

"Who knows not strict counterpoint, lives and dies an ignoramus" - CPE Bach

relm1

RIP dear Maestro.  You were amazing and had a huge impact on my life through the music you introduced me to.   :(

T. D.

RIP, sad news. One of the conductors I've most often seen live, and he always impressed.
One of my top concert (actually, opera) experiences was sitting in the first row at Covent Garden, right behind Mr. Haitink conducting Die Frau ohne Schatten.

vers la flamme

Would graciously appreciate recommendations for great recordings of his. I don't have all that many.

Daverz

#6
Quote from: vers la flamme on October 21, 2021, 05:23:24 PM
Would graciously appreciate recommendations for great recordings of his. I don't have all that many.

Mahler 9 and the Das Lied with Janet Baker and James King.  There was a twofer with these:



Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8.  The whole Shostakovich cycle still holds up pretty well apart from a few misfires (e.g. the No. 14 using the original languages for the poems instead of Russian.)




Spotted Horses

#7
When I first started listening to classical music (back in the days of the LP record) I didn't rate Haitink highly because he seemed too neutral. But as I became more experienced I valued him more and more highly, for his ability to balance the orchestra so that no voice was lost, for his ability to find the perfect tempo, to control dynamics to build crescendos that are powerful but not forced, to find just the right expressive touches. He was truly one of the greats.
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

Spotted Horses

Quote from: vers la flamme on October 21, 2021, 05:23:24 PM
Would graciously appreciate recommendations for great recordings of his. I don't have all that many.

It is hard to find a recommendation just because he was so consistent. I would point to his early Mahler and Bruckner cycles with the Concertbouw, particularly Mahler 5 and Bruckner 8, and his set of Liszt Tone poems with the London Philharmonic. He also did beautiful work in his set of Vaughan Williams Symphonies, although EMI engineering did not allow his mastery of orchestral balance and sonority to shine as well as the Philips recordings did.
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

Karl Henning

Quote from: Spotted Horses on October 21, 2021, 06:33:25 PM
When I first started listening to classical music (back in the days of the LP record) I didn't rate Haitink highly because he seemed too neutral. But as I became more experienced I valued him more and more highly, for his ability to balance the orchestra so that no voice was lost out, for his ability to find the perfect tempo, to control dynamics to build crescendos that are powerful but not forced, to find just the right expressive touches. He was truly one of the greats.

Good tribute!
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Symphonic Addict

Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Archaic Torso of Apollo

Quote from: vers la flamme on October 21, 2021, 05:23:24 PM
Would graciously appreciate recommendations for great recordings of his. I don't have all that many.

The Bruckner 8 and (especially) 9 that he did with the Conc'bouw in the early 1980s (not part of a cycle) are among my favorites for these works. Also the late Bruckner 7 with the CSO.

The Shostakovich 8 is pretty staggering. The early Mahler 3 (Amsterdam cycle) is one of the best; I prefer it to the more famous recording by Bernstein. The Mahler 9 and Das Lied deserve their classic status.

He did some highly praised Debussy in A'dam, but I don't know enough Debussy to tell you how good it is.

The VW cycle polarizes people, but I really like the disc of nos. 3 and 4.

I like his late LSO Beethoven cycle, mainly for the even-numbered symphonies.
formerly VELIMIR (before that, Spitvalve)

"Who knows not strict counterpoint, lives and dies an ignoramus" - CPE Bach

Mirror Image

One of my favorite conductors and, man, what a legacy he left behind. You know, it's always sad to see someone you've admired for years and years pass away as if to think they'll be around forever, but then like the wind, they're gone. Always live for today as tomorrow isn't promised. RIP, Mr. Haitink.

classicalgeek

Quote from: Daverz on October 21, 2021, 05:53:52 PM

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8.  The whole Shostakovich cycle still holds up pretty well apart from a few misfires (e.g. the No. 14 using the original languages for the poems instead of Russian.




I second the recommendation for the Shostakovich 8! Perhaps my favorite performance along with Previn. Just splendid. I need to listen to some more entries in his cycle.

I also really enjoyed his double disc of Ravel orchestral works.

So much great music, so little time...

Original compositions and orchestrations: https://www.youtube.com/@jmbrannigan

vandermolen

#14
Sad news indeed. He was a great conductor. I saw him conduct several times, mainly Bruckner and a marvellous Shostakovich's 8th Symphony many decades ago. Also his recordings of VW's 'A Sea Symphony' and Shostakovich 13th Symphony 'Babi Yar' brought those works alive for me.
RIP Maestro and thank you:

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

The new erato

I have a lot of his discs, and he was a formative artist for me 40+ years ago. Shostakovich, Mahler, Debussy, all reference stuff for me.

Maestro267

Alas, one of the last of that great generation of conductors born in the late 1920s, including Previn, Harnoncourt and Sir Colin Davis. Probably only Blomstedt left at this rate.

RIP Bernard Haitink

Roasted Swan

All the praise for Haitink above absolutely spot on and well deserved.  BUT, I would add how fine an operatic conductor he was as well.  Similar values of slow-burn and control is probably why you won't find much (any!) Puccini or the like in his discography but he was very fine in the pit as well.  A genuine giant.

One further observation about his orchestral work - I bought the Haitink/Symphonies box a few years back on the basis of it was (then) a relatively cheap/convenient way to acquire his early Bruckner & Mahler cycles.  All the other cycles were for me a kind of "by-product" of the purchase.  But fine though those cycles were I must admit his Beethoven/Brahms/Schumann have brought me just as much pleasure.  And perhaps most surprisingly I enjoyed his Tchaikovsky a lot.  Of course it helps that the Concertgebouw were SO fine.

A last thought - his Christmas Day Mahler concerts were always a particular delight.  Can't imagine any TV station broadcasting that kind of calibre music-making live on Christmas Day any more...... (I'm glad I've got the DVD's!)

Karl Henning

Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Biffo

Very sad news. I was fortunate enough to hear Haitink conduct the London Philharmonic many times. Most memorable of all was a stunning performance of Bruckner 8. He was also my introduction to Mahler when a fellow student played me excerpts of Symphonies 1 - 4. I later bought that box set (Six LPs, with the Concertgebouw Orchestra) and still treasure it.