Bernard Haitink (1929-2021)

[Daverz]

One of the Haitink recordings that changed my musical outlook for the better was this one:

You can get it coupled with his great 9th:



There was also that Mahler box, of course.

First Haitink record I heard:

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

You can get it coupled with his great 9th:



There was also that Mahler box, of course.

Haitink's Das Lied was also coupled with other song cycles in a Philips 2-CD set:

[André]

Review of CDs 1-9

Beethoven: the 9 symphonies (1989); 9th symphony (1980); Piano concertos (Arrau)

- Symphony no 1: a fine, classically conceived performance with well-chosen tempi. A bit unadventurous. 7/10

- Symphony no 2: a much more incisive view. Clearly fired up by Beethoven's forward-looking new concept of the classical symphony. Very zesty. 8/10

- Symphony no 3. A big disappointment. The first movement feels tired and insecure. The rest goes better, with a beautiful display of the orchestra's winds and brass. 5/10.

- Symphony no 4. Like the second, this one finds Haitink in excellent form. I just wished he hadn't taken the repeats in the last two movements. I like it when they tumble up and rush toward the finish like a pack of greyhounds. Taking the repeat in IV kind of negates that feeling. 8/10

- Symphony no 5. A real corker. Absolutely magnificent from start to finish (no last movement repeat, yeah!). This performance is hugely imposing yet filled with crackling electricity in the first movement. Very good middle movements. The transition to the finale is masterful (it's a tricky place). Haitink sustains the tension to an almost unbearable level, making the brass display that follows a real triumph. 10/10

- Symphony no 6. Beautiful (I and II), characterful (wonderful stomping peasant dance in III), superb display of the orchestra's low strings and timpani in the Storm, perfectly calibrated Song of Thanksgiving finale. Powerful, elegant, always alive. 9/10

- Symphony no 7. Excellent 1st movement, although I prefer a tad more oomph from the horns and trumpets at the end. Wonderfully expressive Allegretto, suffused with sadness and yearning. For once the massed violins do not obscure the important counter melodies from the violas and cellos. Excellent Scherzo and a smashing, incredibly exciting finale. Wow !  9/10

- Symphony no 8. The day has finally come where I can consider the 8th on the same level as the 7th. This is a stupendous performance. Haitink tightens the screws mercilessly in I until the orchestra simply explodes at the end. Perfectly paced second movement (on the fast side), which brings out its tongue-in-cheek sauciness. The rest is on the same level of fun and excitement, gorgeously played. Once again I must single out the COA winds and its timpanist for their unmatched excellence. 10/10

- Symphony no 9. In the complete cycle's version (1989) Haitink is slightly more intense than in the 1980 live performance (a single, not part of any cycle). Excellent performances, rather similar in both overall conception and details. There is no weak spot and the Finale rises to the exalted level this movement has always been admired for. A lot of conductors have an eccentric gesture or two in this symphony. It's very rare to hear the 9th without raising an eyebrow here or there, like a slowish tempo in the scherzo, a maudlin line in the Adagio, a confused brouhaha start to the finale, a too slow or too fast tempo for the bass or tenor solos, a tasteless, endless tenuto on 'vor Gott', etc. The finale often comes across as a series of episodes stitched together. Not so with Haitink. His 9th has an organic unity that makes it of a piece from start to finish. While not the most exciting, his Finale has incredible unity, it flows seamlessly from first note to last. The singers are slightly more personable in 1989 (a magnificent soprano solo part from Lucia Popp). Classic, unimpeachable, solid yet wonderfully beethovenian. 9/10

- The 5 concertos with Claudio Arrau. One can picture Arrau in white gloves, tailcoat and cravat, delivering classic, beautifully conceived, patrician performances. One doesn't listen to the concertos for the orchestral contribution, but these 1964 performance do show how seriously Haitink took the task at hand. He had just been chosen as the orchestra's Chief Conductor and those were important sessions. There's plenty of attention to detail throughout: the wind contributions, the string pizzicatos etc - there's never a sense of routine. The 4th concerto in particular is a beauty, the highlight of the cycle. 7/10 for 1-3, 10/10 for 4, 8/10 for the Emperor.

That being said, I prefer more assertive performances, even if they can sound less 'classic', more attention-grabbing - like the Michelangeli/Giulini recordings of nos 1, 3, 5 or any of Rubinstein's performances of the Emperor. But that 4th is one of a kind.

There's a second concertos cycle included in the set, with Murray Perahia. I'll come to those discs later as I'm not eager to compare them right now.

 

[Brian]

I do hope this means you'll be posting notes on the whole box, however. Following along 

[André]

That's  the plan

Already listened to: 2 Strauss discs and one of Prokofiev/Britten. Will post soon.