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Bernard Haitink
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Bernard Johann Hermann Haitink |
| Music Encyclopedia: Bernard (Johann Herman) Haitink |
(b Amsterdam, 4 March 1929). Dutch conductor. He studied with Leitner and in 1957 became principal conductor of the Netherlands Radio PO. In 1961 he became principal conductor of the Concertgebouw (at first jointly with Eugen Jochum), retaining the post until 1988. His American début was in 1958 with the Los Angeles SO. With the LPO (principal conductor, 1967-79) he has been admired for his well-thought-out performances of the standard repertory, notably of Mahler and Bruckner (whose complete symphonies he has recorded). At Glyndebourne he conducted operas by Mozart and Stravinsky, and in 1987 he became musical director at Covent Garden.
| Artist: Bernard Haitink |
- Genres: Soundtrack
- Instrument: Conductor, Performer
Biography
Bernard Johann Herman Haitink built a reputation as one of the finest conductors of the 20th Century with a wide repertory and meticulous yet warm and exciting performances.He studied violin at Amsterdam Conservatory, and began his musical career as a violinist in the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic. He took conducting studies with Felix Hupka when he was at conservatory and then two Netherlands Radio Union conducting courses with Ferdinand Leitner. He was named second conductor with the Radio Union, leading four different orchestras or ensembles. He was promoted to principal conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic itself, at the age of 27.
After his good showing when called as a last-minute replacement at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw in Cherubini's Requiem in 1956, the Concertgebouw Orchestra frequently engaged him as a guest conductor.
After Eduard van Beinum died, two conductors were named principal conductor of the Concertgebouw: Haitink (at thirty-two the youngest principal conductor ever) and the veteran Eugen Jochum. Two years later, Jochum left, leaving Haitink in sole charge. He became the principal conductor and then artistic director of the LPO, retaining that position until 1979.
He recorded frequently with both orchestras, taking care not to favor one over the other out of concern for the musicians' feelings. An example of this occurred when he was planning a recording of Strauss's Ein Heldenleben, which has one of the most prominent of solo violin parts for a concertmaster. The LPO's concertmaster overheard these plans, and immediately started practicing the part so he'd be ready for the opportunity. Then the violinist learned to his disappointment that the sessions were planned for the Concertgebouw. When Haitink discovered that he had inadvertently hurt his violinist's feelings, he immediately scheduled the LPO to record Rimsky-Korsakov's Shcheherazade, the work with the other most prominent violin solo part.
He also frequently conducted opera productions in England as music director of the Glyndebourne Festival (1977-1988). He became music director of the Royal Opera in Covent Garden (London) in 1987, and has seen the company through the difficult period when its house was closed for radical renovations through the end of the 1990s.
In 1988 his association with the Concertgebouw ended when he resigned in protest over certain governmental economy measures affecting, in his view, the quality of the orchestra. He has increased his guest appearances in the years since, appearing with the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra (of which he is the Principal Guest Conductor).
Reconciliation with the Concertgebouw occurred when, several years after his departure, the orchestra named him its Conductor Laureate, the first time the Concertgebouw has bestowed the title, in recognition of his great contribution to their history over a thirty-year period. In 1999 they invited him to lead them in a set of Concertgebouw concerts called the "Carte Blanche" Series. In it he led the Royal Opera House Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Dresden Staatkapelle, Berlin Philharmonic, European Union Youth Orchestra, and Netherlands Radio Orchestra as well as the Concertgebouw Orchestra.
He has recorded a large quantity of records on the Philips, Decca (London) and EMI labels, with a wide range of repertory. These have included complete symphonies of Vaughan Williams, Mahler, Bruckner, Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Brahms, and many other works. He was won numerous awards, an honorary British knighthood, and the House Order of Orange-Nassau, given to him by the Queen of the Netherlands. ~ Joseph Stevenson, All Music Guide
| Wikipedia: Bernard Haitink |
| Bernard Haitink | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Bernard Johan Herman Haitink |
| Born | March 4, 1929  Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupations | Conductor, violinist |
| Instruments | Violin |
| Years active | 1936 -present |
| Associated acts | Concertgebouw Orchestra Dresden Staatskapelle Glyndebourne Opera Royal Opera House Netherlands Radio Philharmonic London Philharmonic Orchestra Boston Symphony Orchestra Chicago Symphony Orchestra London Symphony Orchestra |
Bernard Johan Herman Haitink, CH, KBE (born 4 March 1929) is a Dutch conductor and violinist.
Contents |
Early life
Haitink was born in Amsterdam, the son of Willem Haitink and Anna Haitink.[1] He studied music at the conservatoire in Amsterdam. He played the violin in orchestras before taking courses in conducting under Ferdinand Leitner in 1954 and 1955.
Career
Haitink became second conductor of the Netherlands Radio Union Orchestra in 1955. He took the post of chief conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic in 1957. His conducting debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra was on 7 November 1956, substituting for Carlo Maria Giulini.[2] After the sudden death of Eduard van Beinum, Haitink was named first conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra on 1 September 1959. He became principal conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961, and shared that position jointly with Eugen Jochum until 1963, when Haitink became sole principal conductor.[3]
In the early 1980s, Haitink threatened to resign his Concertgebouw post in protest at threatened reductions to its government subsidy by the Dutch government, which could potentially have led to the dismissal of 23 musicians from the orchestra. The financial situation was eventually settled[4], and Haitink remained as chief conductor until 1988. In 1999, he was named the honorary conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Outside of The Netherlands, Haitink was principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from 1967 to 1979. Haitink also served as the music director at Glyndebourne Opera from 1978 to 1988.
He held the same position at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden from 1987 to 2002, where he was praised for his musicianship, but received criticism for the degree of attachment to the entire organisation.[5][6]
From 2002 to 2004, he was chief conductor of the Dresden Staatskapelle. His original contract with Dresden was through 2006, but Haitink resigned in 2004 over disputes with the Staatskapelle's Intendant, Gerd Uecker, on the orchestra's choice of successor.[7]
As a guest conductor, Haitink has served as principal guest conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2004, when he took on the new title of conductor emeritus. In addition, he has appeared with l'Orchestre National de France and London Symphony Orchestra. In the early 2000s, he recorded the complete Beethoven and Brahms symphony cycles with the London Symphony Orchestra live in concert; the releases were part of the orchestra's influential venture into self-produced recordings on the "LSO Live" label. The Beethoven cycle in particular won several awards. Haitink has also continued his long associations with the Vienna Philharmonic and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Haitink is an honorary member of the Berlin Philharmonic.
In April 2006, after an acclaimed two-week engagement in March 2006 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), the CSO appointed Haitink to the newly created position of principal conductor, effective as of the 2006-2007 season.[8] The duration of the contract is four years.[9] Haitink had declined an offer from the CSO to be music director, citing his age.[10] With respect to this contract, Haitink stated that "every conductor, including myself, has a sell-by date."[11]
In 1977, he was awarded an honorary knighthood in the Order of the British Empire (KBE). In 2002, he was created an honorary Companion of Honour (CH).[12] Musical America named Haitink its 2007 Musician of the Year.[13]
Haitink has conducted a wide variety of repertoire, with the complete symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Anton Bruckner, Gustav Mahler, Dmitri Shostakovich, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and the complete piano concertos of Beethoven and Brahms with Claudio Arrau notable among his recordings.[14] In November 2006, the CSO announced a new radio and recording initiative, the first CD recording release of which was taken from Haitink's performances with the CSO in October 2006 of the Symphony No. 3 of Gustav Mahler.[15][16] This recording was released in May 2007.
Haitink formally stated in a 2004 article that he would no longer conduct opera, but he made exceptions in 2007, directing three performances of Parsifal in Zurich in March and April and five of Pelléas et Mélisande in Paris (Théâtre des Champs-Élysées) in June. He stated in 2004 that he did not plan to conduct again at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden.[17] However, an April 2007 announcement stated that Haitink would return to the Royal Opera in December 2007, with the same Zurich production of Parsifal,[18] and he fulfilled this engagement.[19]
Personal life
Haitink has five children from his first marriage to Marjolein Snijder. He and his fourth wife, the former Patricia Bloomfield, a barrister and past viola player in the Covent Garden Opera orchestra, have a home in Switzerland.
Awards and honours
- Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (UK, 1977)
- Honorary medal for Arts and Science of the Order of the House of Orange (Netherlands, 2000)
- Honorary Companion of Honour (UK, 2002)
- Award Vereniging van Schouwburg- en Concertgebouwdirecties (Netherlands, 2007)
- Grammy Award (USA, 2008)
Selected discography
Haitink has made many recordings for several labels, including Philips Records, EMI Classics, Columbia Records, LSO Live, KCO Live, and CSO Resound. Other recordings include the complete orchestral works of Claude Debussy, the two symphonies of Edward Elgar, the three Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart/Lorenzo Da Ponte operas, and the complete opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen. His recordings with the Boston Symphony Orchestra include the following:
- 1993 Johannes Brahms: Alto Rhapsody with Jard Van Nes with the men of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus (Philips)
- 1992 Johannes Brahms: Haydn Variations (Philips)
- 1994 Johannes Brahms: Nanie with Tanglewood Festival Chorus (Philips)
- 1990 Johannes Brahms: Tragic Festival (Philips)
- 1994 Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 1 (Philips)
- 1990 Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73 (Philips)
- 1993 Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 3 (Philips)
- 1992 Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98 (Philips)
- 1997 Johannes Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2, Pianist: Emanuel Ax (Sony)
- 1996 Maurice Ravel: Alborada del Gracioso (Philips)
- 1996 Maurice Ravel: Bolero (Philips)
- 1989 Maurice Ravel: Daphnis and Chloe with Tanglewood Festival Chorus (Philips)
- 1995 Maurice Ravel: Ma Mere l'Oye (Philips)
- 1995 Maurice Ravel: Menuet antique (Philips)
- 1995 Maurice Ravel: Rapsodie espagnole (Philips)
- 1996 Maurice Ravel: Le tombeau de Couperin (Philips)
- 1995 Maurice Ravel: La Valse (Philips)
- 1996 Maurice Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales (Philips)
References
- ^ Nicholas Wroe (2000-10-14). "Master of the House". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/saturday_review/story/0,,381994,00.html. Retrieved 2007-04-21.
- ^ "The Diffident Dutchman". Time. 12 May 1967. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,843759,00.html. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
- ^ The orchestra's own website gives 1963 as the date when Haitink became sole principal conductor.
- ^ James R. Oestreich (10 March 2002). "An Eminently Rational Man In an Irrational Profession". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9506EEDF1330F933A25750C0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
- ^ Nicholas Kenyon (1991-06-02). "For a Reluctant Maestro, Relief, No Regrets, in Berlin". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE4DF103EF931A35755C0A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
- ^ Andrew Clements (2002-06-21). "A great musician - but that was not enough". The Guardian. http://arts.guardian.co.uk/critic/feature/0,,741004,00.html. Retrieved 2007-04-21.
- ^ Andrew Clark (2004-10-22). "Bernard Haitink: unfinished symphony". Financial Times. http://search.ft.com/ftArticle?queryText=Bernard+Haitink&y=8&aje=true&x=22&id=041022007114. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
- ^ Andrew Patner (2006-10-15). "Symphony in good hands". Chicago Sun-Times. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20061015/ai_n16784796. Retrieved 2007-04-21.
- ^ Daniel J. Wakin, (2006-04-28). "Arts, Briefly; Chicago Symphony: Conductors but No Music Director". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980DE4DE103FF93BA15757C0A9609C8B63. Retrieved 2007-04-21.
- ^ Geoffrey Norris (2008-04-09). "Bernard Haitink: I love power without responsibility". The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/09/04/bmbhaitink10.xml. Retrieved 2008-09-10.
- ^ James R. Oestreich (2006-10-06). "A Jet-Setting Maestro Sets a Brisker Pace for Beethoven". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/06/arts/music/06hait.html?ex=1317787200&en=773d590cedcea461&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss. Retrieved 2007-04-21.
- ^ "Queen honours conductor Haitink". BBC news. 2002-07-09. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2117508.stm. Retrieved 2007-04-21.
- ^ Chicago Symphony Orchestra (21 December 2006). "CSO Principal Conductor Bernard Haitink Named Musical America's 2007 Musician Of The Year". Press release. http://www.cso.org/main.taf?p=7,1,2,4,62. Retrieved 2007-04-21.
- ^ Anderson, Robert (1973). "Mahler: The Complete Symphonies". Musical Times 114 (1560): 152. doi:.
- ^ "Chicago Symphony Orchestra Announces Major Radio And Recording Initiatives". Chicago Symphony Orchestra. 2006-11-30. http://www.cso.org/main.taf?p=7,1,2,4,54. Retrieved 2007-04-21.
- ^ John von Rhein (2006-10-20). "Haitink, CSO make magic with Mahler". Chicago Tribune. http://wap.metromix.mlogic3g.com/detail.jsp?key=1359&rc=critics. Retrieved 2007-04-21.
- ^ Martin Kettle (2004-03-05). "I started far too young. I still have sleepless nights ...". The Guardian. http://arts.guardian.co.uk/fridayreview/story/0,,1161832,00.html. Retrieved 2007-04-21.
- ^ Opera News (10 April 2007). "Breaking News: Next Royal Opera Season Promises Minotaur Premiere, New Salome, Voigt as Ariadne". Press release. http://www.metoperafamily.org/operanews/news/pressrelease.aspx?id=1396. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
- ^ Erica Jeal (2007-12-08). "Parsifal (Royal Opera House, London)". The Guardian. http://music.guardian.co.uk/classical/reviews/story/0,,2224357,00.html. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
External links
- Bernard Haitink at Allmusic
- Bernard Haitink biography, Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest website
- Bernard Haitink biography at the Chicago Symphony
Interviews
- Bernard Haitink interview by Bruce Duffie, January 13, 1997
| Preceded by Paul van Kempen |
Principal Conductor, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra 1957–1961 |
Succeeded by Jean Fournet |
| Preceded by John Pritchard |
Music Director, Glyndebourne Opera Festival 1978–1988 |
Succeeded by Andrew Davis |
| Preceded by Colin Davis |
Music Director, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden 1987–2002 |
Succeeded by Antonio Pappano |
| Preceded by Daniel Barenboim (music director) |
Principal Conductor, Chicago Symphony Orchestra 2006–present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
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Mentioned in
- Concertgebouw (music)
- La Traviata (1988 Music Film)
- Fidelio (1979 Theater Film)
- Vladimir Ashkenazy: Beethoven - The Piano Concertos (1974 Music Film)
- Mahler: Symphony 4 & 7 (Film)
- Falstaff (Royal Opera House) (1999 Theater Film)
- Conducting Mahler: I Have Lost Touch with World (Music Film)
- Mahler: Symphony 1 & 2 (Film)
- Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam
- Mozart: Don Giovanni (Classical Album)
- Glyndebourne Festivals (festival, England – in music)
- Chicago Symphony Orchestra (orchestra, Illinois)
- Glyndebourne Festival Opera (music)
- Brahms: Symphony No. 2; Double Concerto (Classical Album)
