Bernard Haitink celebrated his eightieth birthday
in March 2009. Since his tenure as Music Director at the Royal
Opera House came to an end he has worked as an honoured guest
conductor with several orchestras. It is typical of Haitink,
however, that he prefers to work closely with a handful of
orchestras, developing solid musical relationships with them,
rather than jetting off all over the world. Such is his eminence
that the orchestras with which he works are the crème de
la crème, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the
Vienna Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and
the Boston Symphony. Presumably no longer wishing to take
on the role of a full-time Music Director, he has nonetheless
stepped into the breach for two leading orchestras in recent
years. For the Chicago Symphony he is bridging the gap between
Daniel Barenboim and Riccardo Muti, acting as Principal Conductor
from 2006 until Muti arrives in 2010. He performed an even
more necessary service for the Dresden Staatskapelle following
the sudden death of Giuseppi Sinopoli and served as their
Principal Conductor for three seasons between 2002 and 2004.
The performances included in this set come
from two rather special occasions in the Dresden Staatskapelle’s
recent history. In August 2002 torrential rainstorms caused
flooding in wide areas of Europe; Dresden was among the places
affected. The orchestra was away at the time, performing at
the Salzburg Festival, concerts which marked the start of
Haitink’s term of office with them. Before returning home
they gave a concert in Munich to raise funds for the repair
of the Semperoper, the orchestra’s home, which was one of
the many inundated buildings in Dresden. On returning to Dresden
they moved into a temporary home at the Kulturpalast and gave
a concert as a present to their fellow citizens. The Mozart
performance included in this set formed the first half of
that programme. The other work played was Eine Alpensinfonie
by Richard Strauss and, recalling Haitink’s fine studio recording
of that piece with the Concertgebouw, I wonder if Profil might
be able to issue the Dresden performance at some stage. The
damage to the Semperoper was repaired relatively quickly and
the orchestra was able to move back there by December, when
the present performance of Bruckner’s Eighth was given.
Profil have already issued a CD of Bruckner’s
Sixth played by these same forces. My colleague Patrick Waller
welcomed it warmly when he reviewed
it. I share his enthusiasm for that recording but I have an
additional perspective on it for I was lucky enough to attend
a live performance by Haitink and the orchestra in Symphony
Hall, Birmingham which was given just a few days after the
performance captured on the Profil disc. I mention this because
from my seat behind the orchestra I was able to observe Haitink
closely – it was fascinating to see a master conductor obtaining
wonderful results without a hint of histrionics – and to see
the evident rapport between him and the orchestra and the
evident respect of the players for him. Though these present
performances were given at the beginning of their formal association
it’s clear that a significant rapport existed even then.
I have three previous recordings of Bruckner’s
Eighth by Haitink in my collection and it’s very legitimate
to ask whether we need yet another recording by him. Readers
of the survey
of Bruckner symphonies by Patrick Waller and I – which we
have recently updated – will know that both of us esteem Haitink
very highly as a Brucknerian. Indeed, if I were compelled
to pick one conductor as my ideal guide to Bruckner’s music
I think I’d opt for Haitink. I’ve always esteemed very highly
his performances, live and recorded, of the Eighth and both
his 1995 recording with the Vienna Philharmonic (see review)
and his 2005 live Concertgebouw account (see review)
are pretty much self-recommending. If I’m to be honest this
Dresden performance doesn’t add anything to our knowledge
of Haitink’s way with this symphony but I think there are
still powerful arguments in its favour.
For one thing, the performance is genuinely
‘live’ in that it’s a single concert captured in a recording
as transmitted by the radio station MDR – even the Concertgebouw
live recording is a conflation of two separate performances.
Secondly, the recorded sound is thrilling and reports the
refulgent playing of the Dresden orchestra superbly. Thirdly,
and following on from that, the orchestral playing is simply
magnificent and as good as that on any of Haitink’s previous
recordings. So if you haven’t got a Haitink recording on your
shelves there are strong arguments in favour of choosing this
one. Also, admirers of the conductor may well want to have
this as a souvenir of his partnership with another of the
world’s great orchestras.
I don’t propose to discuss the performance
in detail since the interpretation differs hardly at all from
the aforementioned Concertgebouw reading. Haitink is patient,
as he always is in Bruckner, and takes the long view both
of each individual movement and of the symphony as a whole.
Episodes in each movement seem to follow each other seamlessly,
which isn’t always the case in performances of Bruckner directed
by less experienced hands. Above all the performance impresses
me as a wonderfully natural, unforced and understanding reading,
which is paced to perfection. At the heart of the reading
lies a long-breathed, noble and eloquent traversal of the
great Adagio. Everything about this account of what is possibly
Bruckner’s finest single movement seems just right; one senses
that the conductor and his magnificent orchestra are as one.
There’s majesty and a sense of purpose in the reading, an
observation which holds true for the whole symphony. At the
end of the finale I wondered for a second if the applause
had been edited out. Not so. After a decent pause, the ovation
begins. That’s rather remarkable actually because this symphony
ends in a blaze of glory and every live account I can remember
hearing has been greeted by immediate applause. The
gap of a couple of seconds just lets the last chord resonate
and it’s the greatest compliment the audience could pay to
the marvellous performance they’ve just heard.
The performance of the Mozart symphony is by
no means put in the shade. Haitink has a natural feel for
Mozart and his reading of this symphony is supple, stylish
and beautifully shaped. Once again the playing is first rate.
The pace at which Haitink takes the Andante is quite fleet
but the phrasing of the orchestra is so sophisticated that
the music never sounds clipped or rushed. The outer movements
have a verve and energy that is very satisfying.
So, does the market need a fourth recording
of Bernard Haitink in Bruckner’s Eighth? When the performance
is as fine as this one offered by Profil the answer has to
be a firm yes. And the Mozart coupling is just as desirable.
As Haitink enters his ninth decade we can only wish him ad
multos annos!
John Quinn
Staatskapelle Dresden/Bernard
Haitink 
