The London Symphony Orchestra celebrated a milestone birthday of one of the greats of the conducting world, Bernard Haitink earlier this week. Two of our former pupils Carol Ella and Malcolm Johnston, both viola players, were part of the Orchestra.
Bernard Haitink is revered alike by the musicians of the orchestras he conducts and the music-lovers in the audience. In his career, spanning over 60 years, he has worked with the great ensembles and opera houses – the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Glyndebourne, the Royal Opera, the Staatskapelle Dresden and many others.
A week after his 90th birthday, the London Symphony Orchestra – with which he has a particularly special partnership – celebrated this milestone with the conductor himself. Soloist Till Fellner – who describes Haitink as 'a very noble man and musician' – played Mozart, before Haitink turned to Bruckner, a composer whose majestic symphonies have been at the centre of his career over the decades.
You can see the full concert recorded live below.