Go to International Directory of Musicians home page

Bernard Haitink

Conductor


One of the greatest conductors of today, BERNARD HAITINK will remain Music Director of London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden until 2002. He was previously Music Director at Glyndebourne (1978-88), and has conducted many operas for television and video with both companies.  Bernard Haitink's career as an orchestral conductor is no less distinguished: Chief Conductor of the Concertgebouw (1964-88); Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic (1967-79) becoming their President in 1990; Music Director of the European Union Youth Orchestra (1994-) and Principal Guest Conductor of the Boston Symphony (1995-).  The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra also recently announced that Bernard Haitink has been appointed their  Conductor Laureate - the first time that such a title has been awarded in the history of the orchestra. The award was made in recognition of the great contribution he has made to the orchestra since his conducting debut with them in 1956.

In the past two seasons at the Royal Opera House Bernard Haitink has conducted performances of the Ring Cycle in London and Birmingham, Meistersinger, Katya Kabanova, Freischutz, Mephistopheles, Don Carlos at the Edinburgh Festival and Bartered Bride at the newly refurbished Saddlers Wells theatre. Throughout 1999 he will conduct the Orchestra of The Royal Opera House in concert performances of Verdi's Requiem and Britten's War Requiem. He will conduct the opening concerts of the new house in December 1999 and start 2000 with a production of Falstaff.

During 1997/98 Mr Haitink appeared with the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, London Symphony and the Dresden Staatskapelle.  As Principal Guest Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra he regularly appears in Boston and Tanglewood. In summer 1997 he toured with the European Union Youth Orchestra  and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.  He conducted the BBC Symphony Orchestra for the First Night of the Proms, returning to the Proms again in September 1997 at the end of the EUYO tour. In August Mr Haitink appeared at the Salzburg Festival with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and in the Autumn of 1997, he returned to give concerts in Vienna and toured with them in Japan.

His plans for 1998 / 1999 include working with orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw, the Boston Symphony, the Vienna Philharmonic and London Philharmonic. The 1998 / 1999 season will also include concerts of his Carte Blanche series at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. This series was specifically organised in honour of his seventieth birthday year and includes concerts with the Royal Opera House, Vienna Philharmonic, Dresden Staatskapelle, Concertgebouw, Berlin Philharmonic, Netherlands Radio Orchestra and European Union Youth Orchestra. He will end the season with performances of Mahler: Symphony no.7 with the European Union Youth Orchestra in Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands and a London BBC Prom concert.

Bernard Haitink has made many recordings for Philips, Decca and EMI. Those with the London Philharmonic include Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Elgar and Vaughan Williams. His Concertgebouw recordings of the symphonies of Mahler, Bruckner and Beethoven, and Vienna Philharmonic recordings of Brahms and Bruckner, rank among the finest in the world. Opera recordings for EMI include Peter Grimes with the Royal Opera House, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan Tutte and Figaro with Glyndebourne, Der Rosenkavalier with Dresden Staatskapelle and The Magic Flute, Daphne, Tannhauser and a complete recording of The Ring cycle with Bayerische Rundfunk. For Philips Haitink has recorded Fidelio with the Dresden Staatskapelle, Mahler symphonies with the Berlin Philharmonic, works by Ravel and Brahms symphonies with the Boston Symphony. With the Royal Opera House Orchestra he recorded Verdi's Don Carlos, which was released in Autumn 1997.

Bernard Haitink has received many awards in recognition of his services to music, notably an Honorary KBE in 1977 and the Erasmus Prize in Holland in 1991. Most recently he received a House Order of Orange-Nassau, given to him by the Queen of The Netherlands for his achievements in the Arts.


Appointments:


"Arguably the world's finest Bruckner conductor." The Sunday Times

Contact details and further information

E-mail Representative

For further details, see Askonas Holt


Back to Directory home page