Bernard Johan Herman Haitink (; 4 March 1929 – 21 October 2021) was a Dutch conductor and violinist. He was the principal conductor of several international orchestras, beginning with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961. He moved to London, as principal conductor of the

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is a British orchestra based in London. One of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, the LPO was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a riv ...

from 1967 to 1979, music director at Glyndebourne Opera from 1978 to 1988 and of the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

from 1987 to 2002, when he became principal conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden. Finally, he was principal conductor of the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...

from 2006 to 2010. The focus of his prolific recording was classical symphonies and orchestral works, but he also conducted operas. He conducted 90 concerts at

The Proms The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the ...

in London, the last on 3 September 2019 with the Vienna Philharmonic. His awards include

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

and the 2015 Gramophone Award for his lifetime achievements.

Early life

Haitink was born on 4 March 1929 in Amsterdam, the son of Willem Haitink, a civil servant who later became director of the Amsterdam electricity board, and Anna Clara (Verschaffelt), who worked for Alliance française. He studied the violin and conducting, with Felix Hupka, who conducted the school's orchestra, at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. He then played the violin in orchestras before taking courses in conducting under Ferdinand Leitner in 1954 and 1955.

Career

Haitink conducted his first concert on 19 July 1954 with the Netherlands Radio Union Orchestra (later the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra FO. He became second conductor of the orchestra in 1955 and chief conductor in 1957. His conducting debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra was on 7 November 1956, substituting for Carlo Maria Giulini. After the sudden death of Eduard van Beinum, Haitink was named first conductor of the Concertgebouw on 1 September 1959. He became principal conductor in 1961, sharing that position with

Eugen Jochum Eugen Jochum (; 1 November 1902 – 26 March 1987) was a German conducting, conductor, best known for his interpretations of the music of Anton Bruckner, Carl Orff, and Johannes Brahms, among others. Biography Jochum was born to a Roman Catholic ...

until 1963, when Haitink became sole principal conductor. With the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Haitink made many recordings for the

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...

label, and later for Decca and EMI Classics. He toured widely with the orchestra. In the early 1980s, Haitink threatened to resign his Concertgebouw post in protest at threatened reductions to its subsidy from the Dutch government, which could have led to the dismissal of 23 musicians from the orchestra. The financial situation was eventually settled, and Haitink remained chief conductor until 1988. In 1999, he was named the honorary conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. In December 2012, following his advocacy for the RFO in the wake of proposed budget cuts to the orchestra and Dutch music in general, Haitink accepted the title of patron of the RFO. In March 2014, Haitink told the Dutch newspaper '' Het Parool'' that he wished to renounce the title of RCO conductor laureate and to no longer guest-conduct the orchestra in protest of the orchestra's administrative management. In September 2015, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra announced a rapprochement with Haitink, with a scheduled guest-conducting engagement with the orchestra in the 2016–17 season. Haitink was principal conductor of the

from 1967 to 1979. He was also music director at Glyndebourne Opera in England from 1978 to 1988. He was music director of the

, Covent Garden, from 1987 to 2002, where his musicianship was praised, though he also received criticism for his degree of attachment to the organisation as a whole. From 2002 to 2004, Haitink was chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden. His original contract with Dresden ran to 2006, but he resigned in 2004 over disputes with the Staatskapelle's

Intendant An intendant (; ; ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In the War of the Spanish Success ...

, Gerd Uecker, over the orchestra's choice of successor. London Barbican Hall LSO Haitink

Haitink was 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 appeared with l' Orchestre National de France and the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). In the early 2000s, he recorded the complete

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

and Brahms symphony cycles with the LSO for the ''LSO Live'' label. Haitink was an honorary member of the Berlin Philharmonic. In April 2006, after an acclaimed two-week engagement in March 2006 with the

(CSO), the CSO appointed Haitink to the newly created position of principal conductor, effective from the 2006–07 season. The contract's duration was four years. Haitink had declined the CSO's offer to be music director, citing his age. Of this contract, Haitink said, "every conductor, including myself, has a sell-by date." He concluded his Chicago principal conductorship in June 2010 with a series of concerts of the complete Beethoven symphonies and was awarded the Theodore Thomas Medallion by the orchestra. In 2004, Haitink said he would no longer conduct opera, but he made exceptions in 2007, directing three performances of '' Parsifal'' in Zürich in March and April and five of

Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

's '' Pelléas et Mélisande'' in Paris ( Théâtre des Champs-Élysées) in June. Also in 2004 he said he did not plan to conduct again at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, but he returned to the Royal Opera in December 2007, with the same Zurich production of ''Parsifal''. Haitink led master classes for young conductors in

Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...

for several years. In June 2015, the European Union Youth Orchestra announced his appointment as its conductor laureate, effective immediately. In June 2019, Haitink said in an interview with the Dutch daily ''

De Volkskrant ''De Volkskrant'' (; ), stylized as de Volkskrant, is a Dutch daily morning newspaper. Founded in 1919, it has a nationwide circulation of about 250,000. Formerly a leading centre-left Catholic broadsheet, ''de Volkskrant'' today is a medium- ...

'' that his final concert as conductor was to be in September 2019, formalising his previously announced sabbatical into retirement. His final concert with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra was on 15 June 2019. His final UK concert was at

in London on 3 September, 2019, with the

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; ) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world. The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. Its members are selected from the orchestra of ...

. His last concert was in Lucerne at the KKL on 6 September 2019, with the Vienna Philharmonic.

Personal life

Haitink had five children with Marjolein Snijder, his first wife. Their marriage ended in the 1970s. Two further marriages, both to musicians, also ended in divorce. In 1994 Haitink married his fourth wife, Patricia (née Bloomfield), a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

who was formerly a viola player in the orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. They lived in West London. In 2019,

Bärenreiter Bärenreiter (Bärenreiter-Verlag) is a German classical music publishing house based in Kassel. The firm was founded by Karl Vötterle (1903–1975) in Augsburg in 1923, and moved to Kassel in 1927, where it still has its headquarters; it ...

published the book ''Dirigieren ist ein Rätsel'' (''Conducting is a Mystery''), a collaboration between Haitink and the journalists Peter Hagmann and Erich Singer that includes personal reflections by Haitink on his life and career. Haitink died on 21 October 2021, aged 92, at his home in London.

Awards and honours

National

* Kilyeni Medal of Honor, Bruckner Society of America (US, 1970) * Knight of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

(France, 1972) * Honorary

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(UK, 1977) * Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium, 1977) * Honorary medal for Arts and Science of the Order of the House of Orange (Netherlands, 2000) * Honorary Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (UK, 2002) * Commander of the

Order of the Netherlands Lion The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands (, ) is a Dutch honours system, Dutch order of chivalry founded by William I of the Netherlands on 29 September 1815. The Order of the Netherlands Lion wa ...

(Netherlands, 2017)

Music industry and cultural

* Gold Medal of the Vienna * ''Gramophone'' Awards for his recordings in 1980 (

orchestral works), 1985 (Mozart's ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

''), 1986 and 1990 ( Vaughan Williams symphonies)Conductor Bernard Haitink has died, aged 92
'' Gramophone'', 22 October 2021 *

Erasmus Prize The Erasmus Prize is an annual prize awarded by the board of the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation to individuals or institutions that have made exceptional contributions to culture, society, or social science in Europe and the rest of the world. I ...

(Netherlands, 1991) * '' Musical America'' "Musician of the Year" (USA, 2007) *

(USA, 2003 and 2008) * Echo Klassik (Germany, 2013) for his recording of Mahler's Ninth Symphony (BR-KLASSIK) * ''Gramophone'' Awards Lifetime Achievement Award (United Kingdom, 2015) * ''

BBC Music Magazine ''BBC Music Magazine'' is a British monthly magazine that focuses primarily on classical music. The first issue appeared in September 1992. BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the BBC, was the original owner and publisher together with ...

'' 2018 "Recording of the Year" / "Orchestral Winner" Award for his recording of

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...

: Symphony No. 3 (BR-KLASSIK) * Honorary member of the Wiener Philharmoniker (2019)

Recordings

Haitink recorded with several orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra,

, London Symphony Orchestra and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. He focused on classical symphonies and other orchestral works, conducting cycles of the complete symphonies by

, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Bruckner, Mahler, Vaughan Williams and Shostakovich. Haitink recorded the complete five piano concertos of Beethoven and the two piano concertos by Brahms with Claudio Arrau. Other recordings include the complete orchestral works of

, and the two symphonies of

Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

. In the field of opera, he conducted the three

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

/ Da Ponte operas, and Wagner's '' Tannhäuser'' and ''

Der Ring des Nibelungen (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compo ...

''.

References

External links

* * *
Askonas Holt agency page on Bernard Haitink
* Interviews

13 January 1997 {{DEFAULTSORT:Haitink, Bernard 1929 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Dutch conductors (music) 21st-century Dutch conductors (music) Dutch classical musicians Dutch male conductors (music) Dutch choral conductors Dutch music educators Dutch emigrants to England Dutch expatriates in the United States Dutch expatriates in Germany Dutch expatriates in Switzerland Edison Classical Music Awards Oeuvreprijs winners Music directors (opera) Glyndebourne Festival Opera Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra chief conductors Principal conductors of the London Philharmonic Orchestra Music directors of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Music directors of the Royal Opera House Chief conductors of the Staatskapelle Dresden Grammy Award winners Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medallists Conductors (music) awarded knighthoods Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Honorary members of the Royal Academy of Music Honorary members of the Royal Philharmonic Society Honorary members of the Order of the Companions of Honour Recipients of the Order of the House of Orange Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau Commanders of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Conservatorium van Amsterdam alumni Musicians from Amsterdam 21st-century Dutch classical violinists Dutch male classical violinists Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Officers of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)