Bernard Haitink (1929-2021)

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

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Brian

I like this tweet memory of him from composer Matthew Aucoin:

"I once asked Bernard Haitink how he navigated a tricky vocal passage in Beethoven's 9th. His answer: "I go as fast as possible, so that no one knows what happened and it's over ASAP." what a giant."

https://twitter.com/aucoincomposer/status/1451352580022489088

Pohjolas Daughter

Sorry to hear the sad news.  :(

This was the first complete set of Vaughan Williams symphonies that I purchased (came recommended by a number of people) which I still enjoy:



I also enjoy this set of his Shostakovich symphonies:



PD

bhodges

Quote from: Brian on October 22, 2021, 07:30:26 AM
I like this tweet memory of him from composer Matthew Aucoin:

"I once asked Bernard Haitink how he navigated a tricky vocal passage in Beethoven's 9th. His answer: "I go as fast as possible, so that no one knows what happened and it's over ASAP." what a giant."

https://twitter.com/aucoincomposer/status/1451352580022489088

What a fabulous snapshot.

One of the greats, by almost any measure. Yesterday the Concertgebouw posted a short tribute, using the final minutes of Bruckner's Sixth Symphony, recorded in 2018. The tribute is on YouTube, and here is the complete Bruckner 6, in outstanding audio and video.

https://www.concertgebouworkest.nl/en/bruckner-symphony-no-6

--Bruce

Jo498

I have very little Haitink although I have of course been aware of his work since I got into classical music in the late 1980s. Back then he was one of the "standard" conductors, quite present on discs and media but often overshadowed by flashier figures like Bernstein or Karajan and because of their large discography they kept dominating (in my perception at least) even after having passed away. And later, when I got into getting different recordings of repertoire there were again often more flashy or more urgently recommended conductors. So I have a bit of Bruckner and Shostakovich and (very good) accompaniment for Ashkenazy in Rachmaninoff and Brahms.
I almost forgot, I do have a lot of Richard Strauss in an odd box from some dutch newspaper with mostly Mahler and Strauss but I almost never listen to Strauss, unfortunately.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

bhodges

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.

Adding to all the praise for his Mahler and Shostakovich recordings (with the Concertgebouw), as well as his Bruckner. And if the Christmas Day Mahler DVD set is too difficult to find, most of the performances have been uploaded to YouTube. (And there's always the CD-only box.)

Here's the Mahler Ninth from that series, recorded in 1987:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKov5aN-XbM

--Bruce

Pohjolas Daughter

#25
Quote from: Brian on October 22, 2021, 07:30:26 AM
I like this tweet memory of him from composer Matthew Aucoin:

"I once asked Bernard Haitink how he navigated a tricky vocal passage in Beethoven's 9th. His answer: "I go as fast as possible, so that no one knows what happened and it's over ASAP." what a giant."

https://twitter.com/aucoincomposer/status/1451352580022489088
That's very amusing; thank you for sharing that.  :)

Quote from: Brewski on October 22, 2021, 07:32:52 AM
What a fabulous snapshot.

One of the greats, by almost any measure. Yesterday the Concertgebouw posted a short tribute, using the final minutes of Bruckner's Sixth Symphony, recorded in 2018. The tribute is on YouTube, and here is the complete Bruckner 6, in outstanding audio and video.

https://www.concertgebouworkest.nl/en/bruckner-symphony-no-6

--Bruce
Thank you for posting that link.  Looking forward to checking it out soon.

PD

EDIT:  There's a nice obit here:  https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/oct/22/celebrated-conductor-bernard-haitink-dies-aged-92

PD

André

One of my great regrets is that although I've been to the Concertgebouw 5 times, Haitink never figured in the concerts I attended  :( .

My very first recording of the Bruckner 8th is this set on Philips. I've used the grooves until the discs were grey.



Similarly, his Mahler 5th was my first exposure to that music and IMO has remained a benchmark for beauty, excitement, and lucidity. Both cycles (Bruckner and Mahler) are my benchmark recommendations. To me they are « the truth about Bruckner/Mahler » even though I prefer some rival versions of individual symphonies. His orchestral Strauss in Amsterdam was also magnificent. In truth, the COA has never sounded better than under his tenure. When he relinquished the directorship their sound changed (winds and brass especially) and became less characterful.

Later on some of his readings became softer-focused (Schubert 9 in Amsterdam, Beethoven with the LPO) and when he recorded under Decca the results lacked the luminous bite of the earlier Philips productions. From the 1980s his COA Tchaikovsky cycle is the standout IMO. Some performances may be more exciting but none, ever, made Tchaikovsky's orchestrations sound so translucently beautiful. His Vaughan-Williams Sea Symphony on EMI is a thing of transcendent beauty. Some think it's reserved, inward. I think it's attuned to the poetry of the score (words and music) more than most. His Elgar symphonies are not universally liked, but I love them. His Britten too, is superb: he captures the composer's blunt iciness better than many.

Late in his career he came to perform and record Haydn's oratorios and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis as well as any who ever did, plus some more Mahler and Bruckner (an extraordinary 5th) with the BRSO. I count these as among the finest ever made. They ring true like few do.

Herman

Strangely, the most memeorable Haitink concerts I heard were both Mahler symphonies, and I don't even really like Mahler. But I did at the time I heard these.

The first was Mahler 7 with the London Philharmonic, in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, something like 1991. It was a uniquely dark and gloomy Seventh, in the first mvt. Blacker than black.

The other one was Mahler 6 with the Berlin Philharmonic at a BBC Prom in '97 or '98. I heard it over the radio sitting in the car in Southern France at night. The finale was in cre di ble.

If I could recommend one set of discs it's the Boston SO Brahms cycle, including the piano cto with Emmanuel Ax.

vers la flamme

I have a couple of his later recordings with the Bavarian RSO: Bruckner's 5th and Mahler's 3rd. They're both excellent. Need to check out more of these late recordings.

Artem

He was my introduction to Mahler's music.   :(  RIP Maestro.



Symphonic Addict

His Shostakovich legacy is one that I treasure the most. Also, his recording of Walton's 1st is very close to my heart. It made a titanic impression on me when I listened to it for the first time. I said: wow, those are the timpani! Good job, folks! And the whole orchestra as well, without doubts. He stamped passion, good taste, energy, grandeur, rigurosity and good handling of the different sections of the orchestra.

His Brahms, Beethoven, Bruckner, Mahler is undoudtedly masterful. He knew his stuff.
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

LKB

The most memorable symphonic performance I've ever attended was with Haitink and the Concertgebouw, in 1982. The piece was Mahler's Seventh.

Since I've recounted this occasion elsewhere in GMG, I'll merely sum up:

This concert was an impossible dream. The Mahler was the only work on the program, and it was delivered with such high standards of interpretation and execution that nothing I've witnessed live from Berlin, Vienna or any other orchestra has matched it.

RIP, and thank you, Maestro.

Mit Flügeln, die ich mir errungen...

Mirror Image

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on October 22, 2021, 06:31:07 PM
His Shostakovich legacy is one that I treasure the most. Also, his recording of Walton's 1st is very close to my heart. It made a titanic impression on me when I listened to it for the first time. I said: wow, those are the timpani! Good job, folks! And the whole orchestra as well, without doubts. He stamped passion, good taste, energy, grandeur, rigurosity and good handling of the different sections of the orchestra.

His Brahms, Beethoven, Bruckner, Mahler is undoudtedly masterful. He knew his stuff.

His Debussy is also top-notch. I still return to his performance of Pelléas et Mélisande when I'm in the mood for this work. Also, his recordings of the orchestral works on Philips still remain as vibrant as any of the others I've heard since hearing his performances.

The new erato

I have the same Bruck er 8th LP set as Andre.....

André

Quote from: The new erato on October 23, 2021, 11:21:14 AM
I have the same Bruck er 8th LP set as Andre.....

;)

Back in the early seventies it was daring !

Scion7

#35
I have so many records by him.  One of the greats.
He had a long, productive life.   R.I.P. 


When, a few months before his death, Rachmaninov lamented that he no longer had the "strength and fire" to compose, friends reminded him of the Symphonic Dances, so charged with fire and strength. "Yes," he admitted. "I don't know how that happened. That was probably my last flicker."

Spotted Horses

Quote from: Scion7 on October 24, 2021, 03:41:48 AM
I have so many records by him.  One of the greats.
He had a long, productive life.   R.I.P. 



I looked through my listening notes for mentions of Haitink and that recording of the double concerto is one that I commented changed my view of the work, making it come alive for me. Even as an accompanist, Haitink could find the heart of music.
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

vandermolen

#37
From WAYLTN thread.
The Walton (Symphony No.1 with the Philharmonia Orchestra) is most interesting - a granitic/epic performance but I'm not sure that I'd want to play it very often. I thought that the opening movement was terrific and enjoyed the alternative take (slower than usual) on the second movement (rather like Previn's EMI recording of Shostakovich's 10th Symphony) but the slow movement was very very slow and, at times, I felt that it was dragging. The conclusion of the symphony was very fine indeed. No complaints about the live VW recording so far - very idiomatic performance of Symphony No.5 (1994 recording) - haven't got round to 'Antartica' (1984 recording) yet:
"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).