Bernard Haitink (1929-2021)

by:

Share this article

Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink died October 21 at age 92. The range of his work gives a glimpse of how much he was admired and beloved both in Europe and the U.S., particularly by orchestras and soloists who hailed him as a musician’s musician, prizing the work itself over showboating and glamor.

Over the course of his long career, Haitink served as the chief conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam; music director of The Royal Opera, Covent Garden and Glyndebourne Festival Opera in the U.K.; principal conductor of both the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic; and principal guest conductor and then conductor emeritus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

He made some 450 recordings of orchestral music and opera, ranging from Mozart’s Don Giovanni to a complete cycle of Shostakovich’s symphonies, as well as complete cycles of the symphonies by Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler and Beethoven (the last three times: with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Concertgebouw and the London Symphony Orchestra).

More about Bernard Haitink at the Mahler Foundation website.

If you have found any errors or text needing citation, please notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter.

Related articles

Maiernigg Composing Hut

Events Annual festival Gustav Mahler was far more than a composer; his music was more

Steinbach Composing Hut

Events Composing hut and permanent exhibition www.mahler-steinbach.at/festival-2024-en/mahler-in-steinbach-en/composing-hut/ Opening hours: May – October every day free

The Mahler Hour – Mahler and Bruckner

April 20, 2024 Program 2024 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Anton Bruckner

Error report

The following text will be sent to our editors: