Posts tagged as "bernard-haitink"

Bernard Haitink – The Early Years

September 21, 2018

The pre-eminent maestro of our day, caught in little-known studio recordings from the very beginning of his career, including first releases on CD of Beethoven and Mendelssohn recordings. In an original and valuable documentary essay which serves as the booklet note, Niek Nelissen outlines the rapid and unlikely genesis of Haitink’s career, from being rejected […]

Concertgebouw Lollipops

July 14, 2017

This highly appealing collection of light-orchestral classics, gathers up eighteen years in the history of one of the world’s most celebrated orchestras during the golden age of the LP. Ever since its foundation in 1883, the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam has been blessed with a hall that to all intents and purposes, belongs to them. […]

Ravel: Orchestral Works

June 15, 2016

Bernard Haitink revisited the music of Ravel on recordings several times in his career both with ‘his’ Concertgebouw Orchestra as well as with the Boston Symphony. While many of these recordings have been reissued, his earliest, and in a way, most exciting accounts of the music of Ravel, made in 1961, have never appeared internationally […]

Richard Strauss: Don Quixote; Till Eulenspiegel; Metamorphosen; Opera Interludes

May 25, 2016

Beginning with two rascally characters, the deluded Don Quixote and the prankster Till Eulenspiegel, this set includes remarkable recordings from the catalogues of Philips and Deutsche Grammophon with some recordings appearing on CD internationally for the first time – Haitink’s ‘Don Quixote’, Jochum’s blazing ‘Till Eulenspiegel’, shimmering Rosenkavalier Waltzes (both sets) and Munchinger’s recording of […]

Handel: Water Music; Music for the Royal Fireworks

May 25, 2016

These are unashamedly old-fashioned but beautifully clear, performances of these timeless masterpieces. They were recorded in the famed ‘old’ Concertgebouw and the sound of the winds especially – horn (track 3) and oboe (track 2) – are beautifully glowing.

Mahler: Symphony No. 1

May 25, 2016

The legendary 1972 recording of Mahler’s First Symphony, here beautifully remastered for super-budget release. Haitink conveys all the joy and the angst beneath Mahler’s score and the recording has warmth and bloom.

Brahms: Double Concerto; Mendelssohn: Concerto for Violin, Piano and Strings

May 25, 2016

The first-ever pairing of these two marvellous ‘Double’ Concertos on CD. The Brahms is a classic performance, gutsy as well as autumnal and the work comes from towards the end of the composer’s rich harvest. The Mendelssohn, by far the lesser-known of the two pieces, conversely comes from the beginning of his life – in […]

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

May 5, 2016

‘This is the only Das Lied you’ll ever need, and the recorded sound is of demonstration quality’ says ClassicsToday.com on this fabulous recording of Mahler’s symphony/song cycle set to German translations of Chinese poems for mezzo, tenor and a massive orchestra. A 10 (performance)/10 (recording) rating is what it enjoys … as it should!

Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Choral Fantasy

April 29, 2016

A Beethoven extravaganza, coupling two of his works using the piano & other forces. The ‘Choral Fantasy’ receives one of its most powerful performances and the ‘Triple Concerto’ one of its most ennobling.

R. Strauss: Orchestral Songs; Tod und Verklärung

April 29, 2016

Lovers of Richard Strauss’ music have long considered the Jerusalem disc of orchestral songs a ‘must-have’ in their collection. They are sheerly glorious – as is the ‘heldentenor’ of Siegfried Jerusalem. They are now reissued with Haitink’s searing account of ‘Death and Transfiguration’.

Bizet: Symphony in C; Jeux d’enfants; Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 ‘Organ’

April 29, 2016

Two magnificent French symphonies coupled on one disc. The Bizet is a light-hearted early work and this delectable recording by Haitink and the Concertgebouw has too long been out of the catalogue. Its sentiments aren’t that far removed from ‘Jeux d’enfants‘ (Children’s Games) – an orchestration of selected pieces from the piano-duet suite of the […]