Prom 60: Vienna Philharmonic and Bernard Haitink - 3.09.19

[Boilk]

Thank you. I was pleased to learn that my father picked out a young music student from the queue and gave him my ticket. They enjoyed a great conversation and it was the teenagers first experience of Haitink live!

First and probably last ...in years to come he may recount his extraordinary luck, and your father's kind gesture!

[PhilipT]

I'm number 75 in the Arena day queue. That's after joining it at 8:15 this morning. Several ahead of me had clearly slept there overnight.

By my reckoning, seven people in the Arena Season queue did not go home after Benvenuto Cellini (I was #6), and about five in the Day queue. It was all quite civilised apart from a (failed) sneaky attempt to leave a place-marker during the interval. A few people arrived in the early hours.

[Alison]

First and probably last ...in years to come he may recount his extraordinary luck, and your father's kind gesture!

Well I hope so. In my own turn I was offered a ‘freebie’ for this concert by a forum member - and a good seat it was too.

Do check out twitter for a moving picture of Sir Bernard leaving the hall #Proms.

[garyc]

Just to say thank you for the Medici tv link. I was in the stalls at the back but could not see Haitink for the piano lid. This didn’t stop my enjoyment of the music which I thought was very special. In the Salzburg video Haitink really did look relaxed and composed, which belied his 90 years.

[bluestateprommer]

Do check out twitter for a moving picture of Sir Bernard leaving the hall #Proms.

Here's the Tweet with the picture that Alison referred to:

https://twitter.com/bbcproms/status/1169007498449293313

The reviews are starting to arrive:

David Nice, The Arts Desk: https://theartsdesk.com/classical-mu...g-mountains-90

Erica Jeal, The 'Grauniad': https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...ven-bruckner-7

[LMcD]

Here's the Tweet with the picture that Alison referred to:

https://twitter.com/bbcproms/status/1169007498449293313

The reviews are starting to arrive:

David Nice, The Arts Desk: https://theartsdesk.com/classical-mu...g-mountains-90

Erica Jeal, The 'Grauniad': https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...ven-bruckner-7

Thanks for the links - both very perceptive and undoubtedly reflecting the view of many. My eyebrows did shoot up at the use of 'foregrounded' in the Grauniad review!

[Belgrove]

I came out of several years of Proms retirement to attend this concert, anticipating it would be a special event even before Bernard Haitink announced it was to be his last in London. It was one of the most moving and emotionally charged concerts I have attended. Ax's rendition of Beethoven 4 was elegant and classical in style (not unlike Perahia's performance with Haitink back in 2012), with harmony eventually reigning after the strange good-cop-bad-cop dialogue between orchestra and soloist of the second movement.

Haitink's Bruckner is always authoritative, but when combined with the VPO it becomes transcendent. Conducting without consulting the score before him, the symphony unfolded with an unforced inevitability, it simply sounded as though it had to be so. It is always a privilege to hear the gorgeous VPO strings and the brass section - fat but muscular, shown off to wonderful effect in this work. It was a glorious performance whose final blaze seemed the most appropriate way for a distinguished career in music to culminate. I had tears in my eyes when the frail conductor was tenderly helped from the platform by the leader of the orchestra, amid an extended standing ovation from the capacity hall - testament to the affection with which he is held by the audience and orchestra. A huge thank-you to Bernard Haitink for the years of music making at the highest level. May you have a long and happy retirement.

[jonfan]

[silvestrione]

Could someone who was in the hall explain why the applause was held back by a few moment's silence? It seemed absolutely appropriate after such a performance, but I was expecting the spell to be broken by immediate tumultuous noise before the sound died away...

[PhilipT]

Could someone who was in the hall explain why the applause was held back by a few moment's silence? It seemed absolutely appropriate after such a performance, but I was expecting the spell to be broken by immediate tumultuous noise before the sound died away...

A combination of: the ending of the concerto is not as clearly marked as some - there could easily have been another phrase or two; and, we were all watching Bernie's left hand, and the applause did not start until he dropped it and gave his characteristic shrug and smile.

[jonfan]

A combination of: the ending of the concerto is not as clearly marked as some - there could easily have been another phrase or two; and, we were all watching Bernie's left hand, and the applause did not start until he dropped it and gave his characteristic shrug and smile.

I think S is referring to the end of the Symphony. The silence was an absolutely appropriate response and it says something of the special nature of the performance that the whole audience felt that as one and yes, a love for each other at that moment. I felt this even through the second hand experience of radio.

[Alison]

I think S is referring to the end of the Symphony. The silence was an absolutely appropriate response and it says something of the special nature of the performance that the whole audience felt that as one and yes, a love for each other at that moment. I felt this even through the second hand experience of radio.

Well put.

[Bryn]

Totally agree.

There was an individual clap or two prior to Bernard Haitink dropping his arm to signal the end of the hiatus following the final chord of the Symphony. The rest of the audience, however, was paying awed attention to the conductor, and thus held back their tumultuous approbation.

[Petrushka]

An unforgettable Prom and one of the true greats in my 42 seasons of attendance. It was all that I expected and more.

Incredibly sad that this will be the last time I hear Haitink live in concert so it's very much the end of an era for me. There are are three of Haitink's Proms that stand out above all others for me and which have a very special place in my memory: An Elgar 1 in 1982 with the BBC SO and Mozart 35/Bruckner 9 and Wagner Siegfried Idyll/Shostakoch 8 with the Concertgebouw in 1983.

If recordings exist of those performances I'd love to hear them again.

Does anyone know if Friday's Lucerne concert is being broadcast live?

[PhilipT]

I think S is referring to the end of the Symphony. The silence was an absolutely appropriate response and it says something of the special nature of the performance that the whole audience felt that as one and yes, a love for each other at that moment. I felt this even through the second hand experience of radio.

S? But yes, sorry - what with the JEG Cellini, and sleeping out all night, and then BH, my brain is somewhat befuddled. I'm taking a few days off - maybe next week I'll be more coreherentish.