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.

[Mandryka]

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.

I was a bit intrigued by this because I've never really thought of the first movement as specially dark. Unfortunately I can't find a recording with the London Philharmonic. That's the bad news.

Now the good news. I've managed to find a recording with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1995 which is  "dark and gloomy . .  . in the first mvt. Blacker than black."

[André]

Honestly, who needs Peter and the Wolf ? True, it has some wonderful tunes, but the small child bedtime story hasn't aged well IMO. Especially not when narrated in an avuncular way by a Royal Shakespeare Company actor. The mismatch is quite embarrassing.

There'a another version on the disc, narrated in Dutch. I didn't understand a word, but the narration is done in a more natural, familiar voice. Still, I won't go back to P&W any time soon.

Britten's YPGTTO is done without narration. The piece does stand on its own as an orchestral work and it remains entertaining every time I hear it. Good job by orchestra, conductor and sound engineers.


. 8/10.

Strauss' orchestral music is often thought of as a lush, over the top romantic soup of strings and brass (horns especially), but Haitink and the COA have their own recipe in which winds dominate the narrative. Strauss created tone poems, iow orchestral music with a script. The important elements of the story are often brought out by the winds, while strings ans brass create a sumptuous frame for the music as it develops. Till Eulenspiegel is replete with saucy phrases and interjections by the winds. Don Juan and Death and Transfiguration also have important wind parts.

The COA winds cover themselves with glory in these works. I'd choose Haitink's Till,  Don Juan and D&T over all their competitors, and that includes Böhm, Karajan, Kempe, Solti, Ormandy and many others. In the case of Don Juan we get two performances, one from 1970 and the other from the mid-eighties. They are audibly - and fascinatingly - different. In 1970 the ACO horn section still had that deep, earthy, pungent tone, one that felt slightly bottled up, reined in. By 1985 their tone had lost that pungency but gained a more open, golden, honeyed sound. That's quite striking in Don Juan's big horn tune - the one that would reappear decades later in Ein Heldenleben.

Another difference is the pacing. In 1970 Haitink conducted a rather fast account. It's a terrific, super virtuoso display of orchestral excellence, one of the most exciting, highly wrought, breathtaking accounts I've heard. The timpani fusillade at the beginning felt like a punch in the gut. In the later performance (a bit over 1 minute longer) phrases have a little more room to unfurl. This Don Juan is a proud, confident seducer, full of swagger but also clearly attuned to the delights of life. Brash youthfulness has made way for an aristocratic, commanding sneer. The execution once again is simply phenomenal. Of the two I find the first hard to beat in its combination of unique tonal qualities and perfect execution.

Also Sprach Zarathustra is another near perfect performance. To compare I put on Steinberg's classic BSO account next. There are notable differences, not just in timing (Steinberg shaves 5 minutes off most other performances), but especially in orchestral sound. For example, the opening trumpet solo in Boston has an added layer of refinement, the opening call magically coming from a distance (not an engineering trick, it's the player's control of dynamics that achieves the effect) before asserting command of the passage.(*) Haitink's Zarathustra is of a piece, which is much less common than one might imagine. It's one of Strauss' most episodic works. Of course it doesn't help that it opens with THE most famous opening of any piece of music in the 20th century. The interest inevitably wanes a bit after that splendiferous display. Haitink keeps the boat floating throughout. It's an organic, serious, deeply felt performance. 9/10.

(*) The trumpet player in question was Roger Voisin, first trumpet for 3 decades under Koussevitsky, Munch, Leinsdorf and Steinberg. The previous first trumpet player was another Frenchman, Georges Mager (1919-1950.) Mager and Voisin favoured the trumpet in C whereas the B flat instrument had been more common at the turn of the century (still common in european orchestras). The C trumpet cuts through the orchestra and has a brighter tone. On top of that Voisin was a fearless blower who could have cut open a bank vault with his instrument. Two other players, René Voisin (his father) and Marcel Lafosse had been raided from the ranks of the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra by Monteux and Koussevitsky. Boston's trumpet sound thus was notably different from that of other american orchestras, very much modelled after that of the french orchestras. These players in turn taught numerous other players who, from the 1950s onward swarmed to Chicago (Bud Herseth), Cleveland, Baltimore, Montreal, Detroit, Pittsburgh...

[André]

CDs 13 and 14 of the Haitink ACO box:





Once upon a time (actually the mid-1970s) when looking for the best version of the Beethoven violin concerto money could buy, I noticed that there was this disc on a budget label featuring Herman Krebbers. I knew nothing of him and upon researching information (disc buying process back then could be a long, arduous process: no room for error when on a student's budget), I realized he was the concertmaster of the ACO, which was quickly becoming my favourite orchestra. But then there was also another Beethoven violin concerto recording to consider, with the same orchestra and conductor featuring world-renowned virtuoso Henryk Szeryng. Being on a budget label (Universo?) I figured the Krebbers recording must have been an older, presumably less prestigious performance. What was poor me to do ? Swayed by the siren song of newness, fame and glamour, I chose the full-price Szeryng disc.

Now here's the thing: I so fell in love with the Szeryng/Haitink that it has remained my benchmark recording for the work for the last 50 years. I eventually discovered that Krebbers' performance was taped one year after Szeryng's, which raised some interesting but confusing issues: the same label issued another recording of the LvB violin concerto in the SAME year, also with the ACO, this time with Arthur Grumiaux and Colin Davis. How's that for redundance/embarrassment of riches ? I guess the ACO could play the work in their sleep back then.

Regardless, my love and admiration for Szeryng's version has never faltered. Grumiaux' version is on the same level of beauty and excellence but still, Szeryng retained its benchmark status. 

Listening to the Krebbers version made me understand something Haitink mentioned in an interview (quoted in the fine booklet of the Philips box): Krebbers, for all his artistry, never had the backing of the orchestra's management and of Philips' team. He got way less rehearsal time than either Szeryng or Grumiaux.

After listening to this recording twice, I must admit it shows: while Krebbers' performance is a mature, fully baked confection, perfectly executed and full of insights, the collaboration with the orchestra jars a bit, especially in the huge first movement. The numerous end of phrase pauses in the orchestra sound tense, never letting the natural cushion of the hall's reverb die properly. Also, I didn't hear much attempt at tonal seductiveness from the soloist. A tad straitjacketed then, both from the instrumental and orchestral POV.

One year before (1973), Szeryng was in the Concertgebouw's Grote Saal (Large Hall), and things were both more relaxed (perfectly judged pauses, beautifully deep tone from the strings) and  Szeryng spun incredibly intense yet pure pianissimo notes in the highest register of his instrument (the slow movement in particular drew wows!).

I should mention that the cadenzas are also a factor in this delicate equation: Szeryng plays the Joachim cadenzas while Krebbers goes with Kreisler's. Joachim's are more arresting, exploring the themes in some unusual ways, and also longer (4 mins vs 2.5min). I've always preferred Joachim's cadenzas by a fair margin.

I listened to Szeryng twice too, in alternance with the Krebbers. Even the engineering is better. I have no explanation for that other than noticing that the recordings had a different producer (the notes don't mention the sound engineers), but it can clearly be heard: there's noticeably more depth and bloom to the soundstage in the 1973 Szeryng than there would be in the 1974 Krebbers.

Just for the fun of it, I'll be listening to the two Grumiaux performances in my collection, under van Beinum (the previous ACO chief conductor) and under Davis.



To wrap up this A/B comparison I decided to hear the work with one of its most illustrious interpreters, Fritz Kreisler (Barbirolli and the London Philharmonic). The recording date is 1936. Despite its age few concessions must be made for the sound of the violin. Kreisler's tone is perfectly captured and how sweet it is ! I was immediately drawn into his flowing, affectionate interpretation. Barbirolli is an energising presence on the podium, contributing to some splendidly brusque (beethovenian) orchestral comments. Kreisler plays his own cadenzas of course, but they're slightly different than the written ones most violinists use (at least 2/3 of recordings use Kreisler's cadenzas). The improvisatory way he plays them makes them almost unpredictable even though they should sound very familiar. And I must say his sweetly spun pianissimi are as good (if a tad smaller in tone) than Szeryng's.

To sum up: 10/10 for Szeryng/Haitink, 7.5/10 for Krebber/Haitink and 9/10 for Kreisler/Barbirolli

[André]

Tangentially related to Haitink's Concertgebouw legacy: 2 recordings of Beethoven's violin concerto with the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra:

- Grumiaux / van Beinum (Haitink's predecessor at the helm of the ACO)
- Grumiaux / Davis (frequent guest conductor on that same podium).

The main differences here are the orchestra's sound and of course the conducting. Grumiaux' Beethoven was pretty much a known quantity, one of the purest, most classically conceived yet vibrant interpretations.

Under van Beinum the winds have a tangy, 'plain yoghurt' type of sound (listen to their entry right after the initial tap-tap-taps of the timpani). The strings have that big, hefty, pliant sound, the brass slimmer and more piercing than they would become under Haitink. Good but slightly boxy recorded sound (mono).

Davis' recording is of the same vintage as the ACO's other two performances on Philips (Szeryng and Krebbers') - 1973-74. Beautiful sounds, gorgeous acoustics. It's tempting to view Davis as the driver here to Grumiaux' shotgun position. Some 2 minutes faster than Szeryng/Haitink, it flows magnificently. The pauses in the orchestral commentary are uniformly shorter, imparting a militant pace to the Allegro ma non troppo first movement.. I prefer Haitink's superb poise and elegance here, but that's a tiny detail. Overall this is on a par with the other recording (Szeryng's). IOW Grumiaux/Davis and Szeryng/Haitink are easily my favourite versions among modern commercial recordings, and the sound the orchestra makes is a major factor for me.

[André]

The big box sleeves are identical to the original LP covers, a nice touch.

This disc also includes the 2 Romances by Beethoven (Grumiaux) as well as a fine Hebrides Overture - both from 1960.

The Beethoven is very much like the later remake, only less perfectly done: a fine sketch vs the real masterpiece the ACO and its chief conductor were to give us in the late eighties. Tempi are quite similar, if a mite slower in 1960. The most audible difference comes from the orchestra: the string complement in 1988 sounds huge compared to their earlier self. Probably larger in numbers, but also with a denser, beefier but still vibrant sound: wallow in the Rolls-Royce sleekness and power of the ACO at its very peak.

Still, this early Haitink take on Beethoven reveals a real affinity with the brusque, zany side of Beethoven. Very satisfying. The two Mendelssohn offerings are excellent. Fine engineering too: the stereophonic separation of the string sections really helps appreciate Mendelssohn's genius in string writing.

[André]

Disc 16



Recorded in December 1964. Amazing wind playing, especially the saturnine bassoon, ophicleide (contrabassoon ??) and horns. This is a really joyous romp (marvellously dreamy in the central Nocturne), with a truly festive, almost raucous Wedding March. The lovely ending to the Overture and final number of the incidental music are pure magic. Once again Haitink elucidates the string parts to splendid effect. The singers are fine. There's no reason to play just a suite of movements when the whole score is so beautifully balanced.

Mendelssohn seems to have been a particular favourite of Haitink. He recorded the violin concerto twice in Amsterdam (Grumiaux in 1960 and Szeryng in 1976) as well as the 5 symphonies in London (with the LPO). 9.5/10. A corker.

[André]

CD 18

.

This cover is misleading as CD 18 only contains Haitink's Royal Fireworks Music. The real story is here:



Late in life, this time with the BRSO, Haitink played and recorded Haydn's choral masterpieces, The Seasons and The Creation (in German). These (Seasons esp.) are quite extraordinary performances, so it's strange to find out that Haitink had last recorded Haydn 50 years before those BRSO sessions. In any case they are splendid, esp. no 96 - possibly the most winsome, gay, cheerful performance I've heard. I used to have them on a Philips Festivo LP. The sound was a bit thin, the tones too bright for comfort. Here everything is just as it should be sonically: full-bodied, bright yet solid and with nice tranparency, especially noticeable in the Menuetto of 96, with its many winds and trumpet solos - one of my all-time favourite Haydn movements. Haitink's tempi are fleet, the articulation precise and sharp.

I used to have a cassette of nos 99 and 100 with Bernstein (NYPO) that I liked a lot, so I put the Bernstein CD after Haitink's to compare their view on no 99. While both are very fine, their differences need to be addressed. Bernstein's is unabashed big band Haydn, with firm but moderate tempi, accented downbeats, legato phrasing and a sense of power barely held back. Romantic Haydn it is.

Haitink is uniformly fleeter of foot, with a constant focus on transparent yet bold textures, especially from the winds and brass. As I mentioned, the Menuetto of symphony 96 is a showcase of exactly how it should be done, the orchestra enjoying the fun, humour and zip of Haydn's ingenious themes and instrumentation - the conductor letting his orchestra do their thing with practically zero intervention. The chamber music feel is simply perfect. 

Timing comparisons in nos 96 and 99: Haitink = 21 and 25 minutes, Bernstein = 23 and 28 minutes. 9.5/10 for Haydn 96 and 8/10 for no. 99.

[André]

Discs 19 and 20 (Schubert symphonies 5, 8 and 9, all from 1975) are very disappointing.

For some reason the orchestra doesn't sound like it always does: dynamics are compressed, brass are playing somewhere at the back end of the Museumplein and the overall sound stage is recessed and lacking in definition.

To put matters charitably, Haitink is plainly uninterested in Schubert's brand of symphonism. Everything is heavily legatoed, tempi are moderate (deathly so in the 5th's Menuetto), and there is precious little fun (5), drama ( 8 ) or excitement (9).

Their widely acclaimed symphony cycles by Bruckner and Mahler and Strauss tone poems were completed around 1972 and were followed by a string of concerto recordings. Were orchestra and conductor trying to pass a message ? Their magnificent Tchaikovsky series was almost completed. It was to be their last complete cycle before Haitink parted ways with the orchestra (and esp. their management) after the valedictory (and magnificent) Beethoven symphony cycle in 1987.

In the following 16-year span (1972-1988) Haitink recorded the Ravel and Debussy discs (his own all-time favourite disc with the ACO was the Debussy Jeux and Nocturnes LP), and a clutch of remakes (Bruckner, Mahler again). The RCOA Live label issued a few discs with his old orchestra (Bruckner, Mahler, Brahms, Shostakovich), but by then the orchestra had acquired another kind of sound (Chailly's doing mostly): mostly string-based with less individual contributions from winds and percussion.

Most of Haitink's late career was devoted to conducting orchestras in Chicago, Boston, London, Vienna, Berlin, Dresden and Munich. Some of these recordings are revelatory, others sound overfamiliar or even tired. I'll post about some of those eventually. The jury is still out on his late career efforts. Haitink rightly focused on the works he most cared about, freed from the constraints of orchestra or record producers' requirements or politics. 3/10 for no 5 and 8, 6/10 for no 9 (mostly a reflection of the poor engineering - it's a goodish performance otherwise).

[André]

Back to a Winbledon win ! This 1965 recording reveals plain as day what was the glory of the best Haitink/ACO partnership. Everything here is alive and bursting with colour. Haitink deconstructs the orchestra and chorus' parts to highlight their individuality, then re-assembles them to give a flowing, vibrant fairy tale narrative. There is a tensile energy to the strings, a succulence to the winds (many glorious solos pepper this score) that make most other recordings taste like an oversweet sachertorte. 10/10.

[Daverz]

Most of Haitink's late career was devoted to conducting orchestras in Chicago, Boston, London, Vienna, Berlin, Dresden and Munich. Some of these recordings are revelatory, others sound overfamiliar or even tired. I'll post about some of those eventually. The jury is still out on his late career efforts. Haitink rightly focused on the works he most cared about, freed from the constraints of orchestra or record producers' requirements or politics. 3/10 for no 5 and 8, 6/10 for no 9 (mostly a reflection of the poor engineering - it's a goodish performance otherwise).

A survey of late career Haitink recordings would be great.

[Herman]

Most of Haitink's late career was devoted to conducting orchestras in Chicago, Boston, London, Vienna, Berlin, Dresden and Munich. Some of these recordings are revelatory, others sound overfamiliar or even tired.

IMHO some of his best late-phase work is with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. There are a couple of Brahms symphonies on youtube what are clearly his final and best thoughts on these works.