Bernard Haitink - the last remaining 'grand master’?

[Alison]

Especially if he did.....say....off the top of my head.....some RVW

I'd settle for

Strauss: Don Juan

Britten: Our Hunting Fathers

Vaughan Williams: Symphony 3

[Beef Oven!]

I like R. Strauss, and DJ is a favourite. But it’s going to take a lot to entice me away from my Karajans!

[Alison]

I like R. Strauss, and DJ is a favourite. But it’s going to take a lot to entice me away from my Karajans!

Just listened again actually. Such a phenomenal experience sitting in the choir seats so close to all the action. BH was on bloody fire that night!

[EdgeleyRob]

I'd settle for

Strauss: Don Juan

Britten: Our Hunting Fathers

Vaughan Williams: Symphony 3

[cloughie]

I suggest a Job

[Petrushka]

I've been incredibly lucky to have attended so many Haitink concerts over the years - and with almost all of the orchestras he's ever been associated with. However, there are some that stand out as ultra special like the 1979 Concertgebouw Mahler 5 referred to above, the 1983 Proms of Mozart 35 & Bruckner 9 and Wagner Siegfried Idyll & Shostakovich 8; Mahler 2 in 1978 with the LPO and many more. Don't think a year has gone by since 1978 without me seeing him at least once.

Top spot, though, must, I think, be reserved for the Mahler 3 in the Barbican with the BPO on Sept 27 2004, one of the greatest concert hall experiences of my life.

The very first Mahler LP I ever bought (Feb 16 1973, BeefO ) was Haitink's second recording of Mahler 1. It completely blew me away (and still does) and I played the disc to death. The rest, as they say, is history.

[makropulos]

Many marvellous experiences of Haitink, starting with the Symphonie fantastique at the Proms on 2 September 1970, and Mahler 3 the next year. One favourite concert from a couple of years later comprised: Elgar In the South, Mozart scenes from Entführung, VW Symphony No. 4. Tremendous.

Plenty of over 80s still active as conductors, though Haitink is certainly one of the most venerable. Skrowacewski, Blomstedt, Gielen (retired), von Dohnányi, Rozhdestvensky - and the likes of Inbal, Macal and Zinman are now over 80 too.

[EdgeleyRob]

I suggest a Job

Oh yes !

[Alison]

Mehta 80 and Ozawa 81.

[cloughie]

Andre Previn is 87 and Neeme Jarvi will be 80 in June.

[DublinJimbo]

I totally agree about Maestro Haitink's position as a 'grand master', but I wouldn't agree that he's the last remaining. Herbert Blomstedt is no slouch either,

[Beef Oven!]

I totally agree about Maestro Haitink's position as a 'grand master', but I wouldn't agree that he's the last remaining. Herbert Blomstedt is no slouch either,

Hence the question mark in the thread title.

I became acquainted with Blomstedt’s art about 26 years ago with his San Fransisco Nielsen cycle, which still more than holds its own today. I also like his Sibelius cycle which I only bought a couple of years ago (it doesn’t get mention on these boards, or anywhere else for that matter). His Gewandhaus Bruckner is highly praised - I only have symphony #3 (which one of the very best out there) because the cycle is a bit expensive and I expect it to drop in price significantly when it becomes more widely available. If it doesn’t, I’ll just have to stump-up.

Sadly, I know little else. Is anyone who is more familiar with maestro Blomstedt, willing and able to briefly make the case for him?

[richardfinegold]

Hence the question mark in the thread title.

I became acquainted with Blomstedt’s art about 26 years ago with his San Fransisco Nielsen cycle, which still more than holds its own today. I also like his Sibelius cycle which I only bought a couple of years ago (it doesn’t get mention on these boards, or anywhere else for that matter). His Gewandhaus Bruckner is highly praised - I only have symphony #3 (which one of the very best out there) because the cycle is a bit expensive and I expect it to drop in price significantly when it becomes more widely available. If it doesn’t, I’ll just have to stump-up.

Sadly, I know little else. Is anyone who is more familiar with maestro Blomstedt, willing and able to briefly make the case for him?

I have his Beethoven cycle from the 70s, with the Dresden Staatkapelle, and I think it cost about $5 for the whole thing on Brilliant Classics, hopefully still available. I recently added his Schubert cycle from the same era and both are highly recommended. In San Fran, besides the Sibelius and Nielsen cycles, he had a good mini Hindemith cycle (his Symphonic Metamorphosis....very characterful) and a very well done Carmina Burana. He had an earlier Nielsen set with a Danish Orchestra. He doesn't do Mahler

[Beef Oven!]

I have his Beethoven cycle from the 70s, with the Dresden Staatkapelle, and I think it cost about $5 for the whole thing on Brilliant Classics, hopefully still available. I recently added his Schubert cycle from the same era and both are highly recommended. In San Fran, besides the Sibelius and Nielsen cycles, he had a good mini Hindemith cycle (his Symphonic Metamorphosis....very characterful) and a very well done Carmina Burana. He had an earlier Nielsen set with a Danish Orchestra. He doesn't do Mahler

Oh yes, I know the Carmina Burana. My friend has it and we’ve listened to it together, but a long time ago. Excellent, I recall.

[Richard Tarleton]

His Gewandhaus Bruckner is highly praised - I only have symphony #3 (which one of the very best out there) because the cycle is a bit expensive and I expect it to drop in price significantly when it becomes more widely available. If it doesn’t, I’ll just have to stump-up.

Sadly, I know little else. Is anyone who is more familiar with maestro Blomstedt, willing and able to briefly make the case for him?

I've stumped up for the set and am finding it an enthralling experience - live performances, applause with a decent gap after the last chord, almost completely cough-free....£13 a disc so not expensive exactly, just a lot all at once. But it was wearing up to my birthday. I knew nothing about Blomstedt until people sang his praises (his Bruckner's praises) on this forum - comes of living in the sticks. First Tintner, then him. One thing - listen as I might, I can't hear a cymbal in the 7 adagio climax. The only perf to omit it that I've heard since my first live Bruckner 7 in 1972, which was scheduled to be conducted by Klemperer....OK didn't make the performance, but the cymbal player obviously did not have time to rehearse his part so they went ahead as OK would have wished.