Bernard Haitink, RIP

Bernard Haitink had died. He was 92. He was the last of the great mid-20th Century conductors who came to worldwide prominence via the recording industry. Starting in 1961, Haitink was the first conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in his native city of Amsterdam. Haitink held the post until 1988. During that time, he was also the principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and music director of the Glyndebourne Opera.

From 1987 to 2004, he was the music director of London’s hallowed Royal Opera Covent Garden. He enjoyed a relationship with the Berlin Philharmonic that lasted almost 50 years, and was the principal guest conductor of The Chicago Symphony.

Haitink’s resume goes on and on and on, but it was through his recordings that most of us got to know his work. He primarily recorded for the Philips label, but also recorded for EMI and London. His recording of Wagner’s Ring Cycle was produced by EMI but is now under the Warner label.

The composer with whom Haitink is most closely associated is Gustav Mahler. When Haitink took over at the Concertgebouw, Philips — which is a Dutch company — already had a contract with the orchestra for a complete set of Mahler Symphonies. Haitink didn’t feel up to the task and suggested that they record one per year over the next 10 years, and that’s what happened. Philips released Mahler’s Symphony 8 and 9 along with Das Lied von der Erde in 1971, concluding the first of Haitink’s Mahler sets.

In the 1990s Philips, Haitink, and Mahler teamed up again, but this time it was with the Berlin Philharmonic. A complete cycle did not ensue, but the recordings were highly anticipated as they were recorded digitally from start to finish. Along with Mahler, Haitink was known for his conducting of Beethoven, Brahms, and Bruckner.

Haitink was a man of few words. He did not like to give interviews, thinking that the music and the performances spoke for themselves. He was also verbally reticent in his rehearsals. His focus was always on showing as opposed to telling. That is a key distinction.

Anyone can talk about music. Heck, even I could give a competent pep talk to an orchestra during a rehearsal. However, showing it is the key. There is no talking during a concert. The conductor can only show what is needed. Many verbose musicians fail to become great conductors because they lack the ability to show what it is they so freely talk about. Haitink was one of the greats because he could show the orchestra what he wanted.

Haitink’s final concert was in 2019 at the Lucerne Festival. He conducted the Vienna Philharmonic in a performance of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7.