Bernard Haitink (1929-2021)

[Petrushka]

Surely though Pet, if Haitink ever said "please don't release that one, I wasn't happy with it", no Record Company would have ignored his wishes?

Quite so, but that's turning Richard's 'dictated' point on its head as he seems to be implying that Haitink forced nine (as Richard has it) recordings of the Bruckner 7 on to the market. For radio broadcasts never intended for commercial release, Haitink would have had to sanction their release and I'm sure could well have refused the odd one or two in the past which we are not likely to know about.

The Q Discs you mention are those in the RCO125 box. A 1972 live Bruckner 7 is there among them and the ones you indicate give the lie to the claim that Haitink's repertoire was narrow.

[Alison]

I guess in the Philips era Davis and Marriner had higher Mozartian profiles than Sir Bernard though (needless to say) I would regard him as superior to both.

There was a Philips disc of Overtures before EMI started recording opera.

[jayne lee wilson]

Quite so, but that's turning Richard's 'dictated' point on its head as he seems to be implying that Haitink forced nine (as Richard has it) recordings of the Bruckner 7 on to the market. For radio broadcasts never intended for commercial release, Haitink would have had to sanction their release and I'm sure could well have refused the odd one or two in the past which we are not likely to know about.

The Q Discs you mention are those in the RCO125 box. A 1972 live Bruckner 7 is there among them and the ones you indicate give the lie to the claim that Haitink's repertoire was narrow.

Yes, as soon as I heard that live, swift B7 (20 years ago!) it became one of my favourites for the piece, and still my top 7th for Haitink...
He was even quicker in the 1966 Philips one. Any conductor bringing B7 in at around (or even under) the hour is a friend of mine!

[HighlandDougie]

I'm not sure where you get nine different performances of the Bruckner 7 from. I make it seven:

Concertgebouw Orchestra (1966)
Concertgebouw Orchestra (1972) live recording in the RCO125 box
Concertgebouw Orchestra (1978)
Chicago SO (2007)
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic (2019) live recording
Vienna PO (2019) live recording
Berlin PO (2019) live recording - direct to disc LP

Of these the majority are live recordings, some of which were not originally intended for commercial release and Haitink's agreement would probably have been sought after the event and unlikely to have been 'dictated' by him in any way. The possible exception is the Chicago one but doubt it as the team there would have likely said:'We'd like to record this and issue on our Resound label' and a contract drawn up accordingly - not sure how it works. The three 2019 recordings are clearly of a commemorative nature and all worthy of release. The two studio recordings made with the Concertgebouw would obviously be made for issue, with the 1978 one being a clear remake which Haitink would have likely 'dictated'.

Can you please let me know of the two missing ones and I'll get them!

Not sure if it's one of the missing nine but there is 26 August 2004 with the Dresden Staatskapelle. But, as a generality, the idea of BH "dictating" recordings somehow doesn't quite ring true with what we know of him. Those Dresden recordings also include Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphoses which I much enjoy.

[jayne lee wilson]

I think a little too much weight is being put upon Richard's choice of words here..."was in a position to dictate" was evidently a response to the earlier comment suggesting the opposite, and is itself suggestive & not strictly categorical.......

But I should really leave that to him of course....

[Alison]

Few Dutch conductors have shown a rapport with Scandinavian composers I suggest (happy to be proved wrong).

I did attend a fabulous Haitink/LPO Prokofiev 5 in the mid nineties which received extremely good notices. Previously there had been L’amour des trois Oranges at Glyndebourne of course.

[Petrushka]

Not sure if it's one of the missing nine but there is 26 August 2004 with the Dresden Staatskapelle. But, as a generality, the idea of BH "dictating" recordings somehow doesn't quite ring true with what we know of him. Those Dresden recordings also include Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphoses which I much enjoy.

Have you got a link to this one, HD? I can't find it on Amazon or Presto. They gave a performance of the Bruckner 7 at the Proms that year and also gave the Hindemith at the Barbican the following month. Needless to say, I was at both.

[cloughie]

I notice that there is a Mozart 38 / Bruckner 8 on Haenssler Profil with DresdenSO - I assume it is a live recording!

[Petrushka]

I notice that there is a Mozart 38 / Bruckner 8 on Haenssler Profil with DresdenSO - I assume it is a live recording!

It is, yes. I mention it up above somewhere!

[cloughie]

6833033

https://www.discogs.com/release/7142717-Bernard-Haitink-Concertgebouw-Orchestra-Bernard-Haitink-Conducting-The-Concertgebouw-Orchestra-Amste

Was this an earlyish Haitink purchase for many hereabouts?

[cloughie]

Few Dutch conductors have shown a rapport with Scandinavian composers I suggest (happy to be proved wrong).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Dutch_conductors_(music)

An interesting observation which appears true, although van Beinum did a little - his En Saga and Tapiola was good and maybe he may have recorded some symphonies had Collins not been on the Decca roster! He also did Finlandia and Valse Triste on Philips!

The wiki list of Dutch composers is interesting though and I don’t that Koopman and Leonhart are Sibelians but also I didn’t realise that Andre Rieu was Dutch - but I don’t expect his Kullervo anytime soon but maybe he’d have a bash at Finlandia!

[Petrushka]

6833033

https://www.discogs.com/release/7142717-Bernard-Haitink-Concertgebouw-Orchestra-Bernard-Haitink-Conducting-The-Concertgebouw-Orchestra-Amste

Was this an earlyish Haitink purchase for many hereabouts?

I think that one appeared on LP as a Universo reissue long ago but, as far as I know, has never been released on CD so I've never heard it. One for the complete Haitink/Concertgebouw big box when it appears.

[cloughie]

I think that one appeared on LP as a Universo reissue long ago but, as far as I know, has never been released on CD so I've never heard it. One for the complete Haitink/Concertgebouw big box when it appears.

The overtures are on an Eloquence ‘Concertgebouw Lollipops’ double cd.

[HighlandDougie]

Have you got a link to this one, HD? I can't find it on Amazon or Presto. They gave a performance of the Bruckner 7 at the Proms that year and also gave the Hindemith at the Barbican the following month. Needless to say, I was at both.

I've sent you a PM

[Zucchini]

Bernard and Patricia H have (had?) a house a couple of miles outside Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds. We also live a couple of miles away. The CC Music Festival, usually held in May, this year September, always attracts stellar names.

Bernard and Patricia H are Patrons and this year generously sponsored a visit by the Concertgebouw Camerata. He wrote in the Festival Prospectus:

“After a long lifetime as a professional performer, having the chance to be part of the audience and to hear concerts of outstanding quality in such a setting is the purist joy.” BH 2021

Kind and memorable words.