# Bernard Haitink announces his retirement



## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Bernard Haitink has announced his retirement.

The acclaimed conductor, now 90, announced that his final concert on the podium will be on Sept. 6 at the Lucerne Festival. The concert will include Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto and Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony.

I hope he has a long and happy retirement. After 65 years well-deserved! And what a contribution to music over seven decades.

(If this has been posted elsewhere, I apologise for duplication.)


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## Granate (Jun 25, 2016)

I hope he conducts a Bruckner 7 for the Ages with the Wiener Philharmoniker. I've never been a fan of his recordings, but his late performances have a definitive matureness. If it was well-recorded, it could be wonderful.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Granate said:


> I hope he conducts a Bruckner 7 for the Ages with the Wiener Philharmoniker...


Shouldn't be a problem with 8 days to do it.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

He's still alive?


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

He's never been a first choice for me. His conducting is very solid, sane, musical, controlled - but he never seems to let his hair down and just let the music go. He opened a lot of doors musically - that early set of complete Liszt tone poems was excellent, but I always felt his Shostakovich, Mahler, Tchaikovsky and such needed more muscularity. I have enjoyed his Ravel and Vaughan Williams quite a bit.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Shame, he's got better as he's got older. Wand was the same.


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

Dont know what to say - I always considered him as Mr Reliable in the conducting stakes. 

His Mahler got me interested in the composer - particularly the 3rd.


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

Merl said:


> Shame, he's got better as he's got older. Wand was the same.


he's 90 for goodness sake

how long do you expect him to keep getting better? He can barely lift his baton.


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## Vahe Sahakian (Mar 9, 2018)

Granate said:


> I hope he conducts a Bruckner 7 for the Ages with the Wiener Philharmoniker. I've never been a fan of his recordings, but his late performances have a definitive matureness. If it was well-recorded, it could be wonderful.


H. V. Karajan last recording was also Bruckner 7th with his "Other" orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic.
As for Haitink Bruckner 7th I wish that he had chosen RCO instead of Lucerne


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## Open Book (Aug 14, 2018)

He has been a guest with the Berlin Philharmonic every year in the time I've watched their broadcasts. They love him there. But I felt pity for him last time. His Bruckner 7 was a bit too middle of the road. He looked very old and tired. The curtain calls seemed taxing on him, all those stairs. He still stands when he conducts a long Bruckner symphony, with a safety rail behind him, which is impressive.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

PlaySalieri said:


> His Mahler got me interested in the composer - particularly the 3rd.


That's interesting, because other than his complete Mahler cycle with the Concertgebouw, the only other Mahler of his I have picked up is two other recordings of the 3rd - one with Chicago and the other Berlin. His way with the 3rd speaks to me quite well.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

One of my leading composers when I started exploring classical music. He introduced me to Mahler (the 4th with Elly Ameling), who eventually became my favourite composer for orchestra. And his version introduced me to my all-time favourite symphony (Bruckner 9). I hope he still has some years in decent health to enjoy other things in life.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

...and then there is Herbert Blomstedt, 92 and still going strong!


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

Seeing him conduct Mahler's 9th at Lincoln Center a couple years ago might be the most memorable concert of my life.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

His Christmas ( Mahler) concertos live from Amsterdam are legendary.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

PlaySalieri said:


> he's 90 for goodness sake
> 
> how long do you expect him to keep getting better? He can barely lift his baton.


If I reach 90 I don't think I'll be able to raise my baton all that well either.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

elgars ghost said:


> If I reach 90 I don't think I'll be able to raise my baton all that well either.


These guys are amazing. I retired from the day job at 70 and thought I'd done well! :lol:


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

elgars ghost said:


> If I reach 90 I don't think I'll be able to raise my baton all that well either.


Fnarr! Fnarr!! Or was no innuendo intended? :devil:


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

PlaySalieri said:


> he's 90 for goodness sake
> 
> how long do you expect him to keep getting better? He can barely lift his baton.


Well Blomstedt's still going and still delivering the goods and he's 92! Haitink is but a baby in comparison. Lol at EG's baton comment, too. :lol::lol::lol:


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

And then there was Stokowski who signed a 6 year recording contract when he was 94 :lol:


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Didn't Stoki sign a 20 year recording contract when in his 90s??


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## Rangstrom (Sep 24, 2010)

oops, tried to delete


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## Rangstrom (Sep 24, 2010)

Heck148 said:


> Didn't Stoki sign a 20 year recording contract when in his 90s??


Monteux, with the LSO.


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## poodlebites (Apr 5, 2016)

isorhythm said:


> Seeing him conduct Mahler's 9th at Lincoln Center a couple years ago might be the most memorable concert of my life.


Same here. Saw him last summer conducting Mahler's 9th in Het Concertgebouw and it might be the best concert I've ever seen.


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## lluissineu (Dec 27, 2016)

IMO Haitink and Blomstedt are two of The best conductors still working. I saw Haitink in London in march (LSO, Mahler's 4th) and in Berlin (BPO, Bruckner's 7th). He's superb. There Weiss ago I saw Blomsredt in Leipzig (BRAHMS 1st). I simply think we don't Have much time to enjoy The performances of these two wise men. Haitink has retired. I hope to See Blomstedt again in Amsterdam next year.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

I am among those that considered him reliable but rarely a first choice. I have enjoyed some of his lesser-renowned works more than Mahler or Shostakovich though I believe his Shostakovich 8 is a miracle, clearly ahead of anything else he recorded by either composer.

I very much enjoy his Mendelssohn "Reformation" symphony with London Philharmonic and, even more, his Brahms Symphony 2 with Concertgebouw. I have never heard anyone say a word about his Beethoven even though he recorded the nine symphonies -- twice.

I think the reason people more know his Mahler and Shostakovich is because they were listed in the Penguin guides and because some of the Mahler appeared in a few films. I thought he was twice as good at Debussy than either of those composers or Bruckner, for whom I once said he was solid, shipshape and unremarkable.


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