Around the Music Festival

Bernard Haitink, the oldest Dutch conductor in the world of conducting, died at his home in London on October 21st. He was 92 years old.

He has long been the principal conductor of the prestigious Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra (now the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra), while co-starring with prestigious orchestras around the world. He also made numerous recordings and was one of the leading conductors of the postwar period.

Born in Amsterdam, he started his career as a violinist. After that, he studied under the famous conductor Ferdinand Leitner and became a conductor.

He became Principal Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in 1957. In 1961, at the young age of 32, he became the principal conductor of the prestigious Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra and became a hot topic.

After that, he was the principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (1967-1979) and the music director of the Royal Opera House in London (1987-2002).

He also has posts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Dresden Staatskapelle, while performing guest performances with prestigious orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

He was known for producing warm, inclusive and supple music, based on neat and constructive music making. He has made numerous recordings, including Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Marler and Shostakovich.

In September 2019, he was the last to retire from the performance of conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland.

Photo：Berliner Philharmoniker