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Bernard Haitink, R.I.P.

One of the greatest and most recorded Conductors of all time died today, aged 92.  I truly didn’t appreciate him until I moved to Chicago in the mid eighties and then was privileged to see him guest Conduct over the next few decades.  So many great recordings, but my favorites are Symphonies of Shostakovich and Ralph Vaughn Williams.  In both cases he was the first Conductor of a different nationality than the Composers and he led definitive performances that made them seem less pigeonholed, and more Universal.
R.IP., Uncle Bernie
mahler123
edcyn
1,876 posts
 
We used to call him Hijinks at Tower Classics. He may not have been the ultimate choice for every work but he always delivered exceptional quality. One of the go-to conductors. He's on my turntable often. Rest in Peace!
mahler123 OP
3,409 posts
 
The one weakness in his recorded output was the Beethoven Symphonies, which was weird because he was so excellent in the Piano Concertos, with Arrau, Brendel, and Perahia.  His Concertgebou Mahler and Bruckner grow in stature with each rehearing, but especially in Mahler he must have been overshadowed by the flashier efforts of Bernstein, Solti, and even cult figures like Horenstein.  Those Mahler recordings of Haitink have been released on BluRay Audio and just sound stupendous 
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
He was a Mahlerian and Brucknerian to be sure. One of my go-to conductors. We're fortunate that his recordings are of outstanding quality.
RIP
melm
1,084 posts
 
It is interesting to me that in the early vinyl days the Philips Haitink Concertgebouw recordings were often considered dull.  But as analog equipment became more sophisticated (somewhat after the analog golden age) they started sounding better and better.  So too when digital developed enough to do these recordings justice.  As the NY Times obit headlined, he was the, "Conductor Who Let Music Speak for Itself."  And so our appreciation of what he accomplished grew.  RIP.
edcyn
1,876 posts
 
As melm sez... Philips continues to be one of my favorite labels.
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