Bernard Johan Herman Haitink (Dutch: [ˈbɛrnɑrt ˈɦaːitɪŋk]; 4 March 1929 – 21 October 2021) was a Dutch conductor and violinist. He was the main conductor for several international orchestras, starting with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961. He later moved to London, where he was the principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from 1967 to 1979. He also served as music director at Glyndebourne Opera from 1978 to 1988 and at the Royal Opera House from 1987 to 2002. In 2002, he became principal conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden. From 2006 to 2010, he was principal conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. His recordings focused on classical symphonies and orchestral music, but he also conducted operas. He performed in 90 concerts at The Proms in London, with his final performance on 3 September 2019 with the Vienna Philharmonic. His awards include Grammy Awards and the 2015 Gramophone Award for his lifetime achievements.

Early life

Haitink was born on March 4, 1929, in Amsterdam. He was the son of Willem Haitink, a government worker who later became a manager at the Amsterdam electricity board, and Anna Clara (Verschaffelt), who worked for Alliance française. He studied the violin and conducting with Felix Hupka, who led the school's orchestra at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Later, he played the violin in orchestras. In 1954 and 1955, he took classes in conducting with Ferdinand Leitner.

Career

Haitink gave his first concert on July 19, 1954, with the Netherlands Radio Union Orchestra (later called the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra [RFO]). In 1955, he became the second conductor of the orchestra, and in 1957, he became the chief conductor. His first performance with the Concertgebouw Orchestra was on November 7, 1956, when he took over for Carlo Maria Giulini. After Eduard van Beinum died suddenly, Haitink was named first conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra on September 1, 1959. He became principal conductor in 1961, sharing the role with Eugen Jochum until 1963, when Haitink became the sole principal conductor. With the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Haitink recorded many pieces for Philips, and later for Decca and EMI Classics. He also traveled widely with the orchestra.

In the early 1980s, Haitink threatened to leave his position with the Concertgebouw Orchestra because the Dutch government planned to reduce funding for the orchestra, which could have led to the loss of 23 musicians. The financial issue was eventually resolved, and Haitink remained chief conductor until 1988. In 1999, he was named honorary conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. In December 2012, Haitink accepted the title of patron of the RFO after advocating for the orchestra during proposed budget cuts. In March 2014, Haitink told a Dutch newspaper he wanted to give up the title of RCO conductor laureate and stop guest-conducting the orchestra in protest of its management. In September 2015, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra announced a reconciliation with Haitink, scheduling him to guest-conduct in the 2016–17 season.

Haitink was principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from 1967 to 1979. He was also music director at Glyndebourne Opera in England from 1978 to 1988. He served as music director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, from 1987 to 2002, where his work was praised, though some criticized how closely he was tied to the organization.

From 2002 to 2004, Haitink was chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden. His original contract with Dresden was set to last until 2006, but he resigned in 2004 due to disagreements with the orchestra’s director, Gerd Uecker, about choosing a successor.

Haitink was principal guest conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2004, when he took on the title of conductor emeritus. He also worked with l'Orchestre National de France and the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). In the early 2000s, he recorded the complete Beethoven and Brahms symphony cycles with the LSO for the LSO Live label. Haitink was an honorary member of the Berlin Philharmonic.

In April 2006, after a successful two-week performance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) in March 2006, the CSO appointed Haitink to the newly created position of principal conductor, starting in the 2006–07 season. The contract lasted four years. Haitink had refused the CSO’s offer to be music director, saying he was too old for the role. He said, “every conductor, including myself, has a sell-by date.” He ended his time as principal conductor with the CSO in June 2010 with a series of concerts featuring all of Beethoven’s symphonies and was awarded the Theodore Thomas Medallion by the orchestra.

In 2004, Haitink said he would no longer conduct opera, but he made exceptions in 2007, directing three performances of Parsifal in Zürich and five of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande in Paris. He also returned to the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, in December 2007 with the same Parsifal production.

Haitink taught master classes for young conductors in Lucerne for several years. In June 2015, the European Union Youth Orchestra announced his appointment as its conductor laureate, effective immediately.

In June 2019, Haitink told a Dutch newspaper that his final concert as a conductor would be in September 2019, confirming his planned retirement. His last performance with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra was on June 15, 2019. His final concert in the UK was at The Proms in London on September 3, 2019, with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. His last concert was in Lucerne on September 6, 2019, with the Vienna Philharmonic.

Personal life

Haitink had five children with Marjolein Snijder, his first wife. His first marriage ended in the 1970s. He had two more marriages, both to musicians, but both ended in divorce. In 1994, Haitink married his fourth wife, Patricia (née Bloomfield), a lawyer who used to play the viola in the orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. They lived in West London.

In 2019, Bärenreiter published the book Dirigieren ist ein Rätsel (Conducting is a Mystery), a project created by Haitink and the journalists Peter Hagmann and Erich Singer. The book includes Haitink’s personal thoughts about his life and career.

Haitink died on 21 October 2021, at the age of 92, at his home in London.

Awards and honours

• Kilyeni Medal of Honor from the Bruckner Society of America (United States, 1970)
• Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (France, 1972)
• Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (United Kingdom, 1977)
• Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium, 1977)
• Honorary Medal for Arts and Science of the Order of the House of Orange (Netherlands, 2000)
• Honorary Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (United Kingdom, 2002)
• Commander of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (Netherlands, 2017)

• Gold Medal of the Internationale Gustav Mahler Gesellschaft [de] Vienna
• Gramophone Awards for recordings of Debussy's orchestral works in 1980, Mozart's Don Giovanni in 1985, and Vaughan Williams symphonies in 1986 and 1990
• Erasmus Prize (Netherlands, 1991)
• Musical America "Musician of the Year" (United States, 2007)
• Grammy Awards (United States, 2003 and 2008)
• Echo Klassik (Germany, 2013) for his recording of Mahler's Ninth Symphony (BR-KLASSIK)
• Gramophone Awards Lifetime Achievement Award (United Kingdom, 2015)
• BBC Music Magazine 2018 "Recording of the Year" and "Orchestral Winner" Award for his recording of Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 3 (BR-KLASSIK)
• Honorary Member of the Wiener Philharmoniker (2019)

Recordings

Haitink worked with many orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. He worked on classical symphonies and other orchestral music, leading performances of all the symphonies by Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Bruckner, Mahler, Vaughan Williams, and Shostakovich. Haitink recorded all five piano concertos by Beethoven and the two piano concertos by Brahms with Claudio Arrau. Other recordings include all of Debussy's orchestral works and the two symphonies by Elgar. In the field of opera, he led performances of three operas by Mozart and Da Ponte, as well as Wagner's Tannhäuser and Der Ring des Nibelungen.