Bernhard Haitink Conductor Date of Birth: 04.03.1929 Country: Denmark

Biography of Bernard Haitink

Bernard Johan Herman Haitink, born on March 4, 1929, in Amsterdam, is a Dutch conductor. He initially studied violin at the Amsterdam Conservatory and later, from 1954 to 1955, pursued conducting under the guidance of Ferdinand Leitner. In 1955, Haitink joined the Netherlands Radio Orchestra as its second conductor and served as its principal conductor from 1957 to 1961. Starting from 1959, he also began working with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, eventually becoming its chief conductor in 1961. He held this position until 1988, initially sharing it with Eugen Jochum for the first two seasons. Additionally, from 1967 to 1979, Haitink served as the principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and from 1978 to 1988, as the artistic director of the Glyndebourne Opera Festival.

From 1987 to 2002, Haitink led the prestigious Royal Opera House at Covent Garden in London. Then, for two years, he directed the Dresden Staatskapelle, but in 2004, he terminated his four-year contract due to disagreements with the intendant (director) of the orchestra regarding organizational matters. From 1994 to 2000, he was the conductor of the European Union Youth Orchestra. Since 2006, Haitink has been the principal conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, earning him the title of "Musician of the Year" by the Musical America association in 2007. Among his other accolades, Haitink received a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording in 2004 for Leoš Janáček's opera "Jenůfa." In 1977, he was knighted by the British Queen and received the Order of the British Empire and the Order of the Knights of Glory.

Haitink's repertoire encompasses the complete symphonic works of Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Bruckner, Mahler, Shostakovich, and Vaughan Williams. Together with Claudio Arrau, he recorded all of Beethoven and Brahms' piano concertos.