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Bernard Haitink

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Bernard Haitink was a Dutch conductor and violinist, born on 4 March 1929 in Amsterdam. He studied violin and conducting at the Amsterdam Conservatoire, first played in orchestras and in 1954 and 1955 took lessons with Ferdinand Leitner. In July 1954 he conducted his first concert with the orchestra of the Nederlandse Radio Unie. In 1956 he stood in for Carlo Maria Giulini with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, and after the sudden death of Eduard van Beinum he became that orchestra's principal conductor in 1959. From 1961 he was chief conductor, at first together with Eugen Jochum, from 1963 alone.

Music and breakthrough

Haitink stayed with the Concertgebouw Orchestra until 1988 and made many recordings with them for Philips, later also for Decca and EMI. A career followed that took him across Europe and America: chief conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from 1967 to 1979, music director of Glyndebourne Opera from 1978 to 1988 and of the Royal Opera House in London from 1987 to 2002. Later he led the Staatskapelle Dresden and from 2006 to 2010 the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. At the Proms in London he conducted ninety concerts.

Influence

His recordings concentrate on classical and romantic symphonies and orchestral works, with cycles of Beethoven and Brahms, and symphonies by Mahler. He received Grammy Awards and in 2015 a Gramophone Award for his life's work. In a world of conspicuous conductors, Haitink was known for his calm, self-effacing style, and he showed how a Dutch conductor could belong to the world's top. He gave his last concert in September 2019.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 Resurrection from 1968 and notice how the orchestra grows from very soft to very large. Try to hear how calmly and evenly the conductor lets that build-up unfold.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists