RIP Bernard Haitink

[AnotherSpin]

38 minutes ago, Musicophile said:

A conductor I really admire, a true artist, while always being truly humble, just passed away. 
 

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing him live several times. 
 

My favorite recording of him remains my first CD I ever I bought from him, Brahms 2nd piano concerto with Alfred Brendel. 

 

I like literally every one of his records I've heard. Amazing balance, restraint and taste. Nothing superfluous, false, exaggerated or contrived. Unfortunately, there were few directors like Bernard Haitink, and even fewer left. Another page of great music-making is closed and we are left with the recordings.

[AnotherSpin]

Thinking about which of Haitink's albums to name as favourites, I realised that I really can't isolate any in particular. Still, certainly some of Mahler recordings on the old LPs. Bruckner's eighth is stunningly beautiful. Beethoven cycle with LSO. Der Ring cycle. Haitink is rarely named among the definitive Wagner performers, but his '90s Ring on EMI I put in a very special place.

[AnotherSpin]

18 minutes ago, Musicophile said:

I think what made him truly spe

I think what made him truly special is while I don’t consider any of Haitink‘s recording as my personal reference for any given work, I have yet to find another conductor who so consistently delivered very fine recordings of pretty much anything between Beethoven and Mahler. 

 

+1. I can't imagine an occasion when I would have been disappointed with his album.