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From: greg@olivee.UUCP (Greg Paley)
Newsgroups: net.music.classical
Subject: Re: Concertgebouw Tour
Message-ID: <497@olivee.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 3-Oct-85 13:35:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: olivee.497
Posted: Thu Oct  3 13:35:34 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 5-Oct-85 03:09:17 EDT
References: <1255@hcrvx1.UUCP>
Organization: Olivetti ATC; Cupertino, Ca
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> I had the considerable pleasure last night of hearing a concert from Bernard
> Haitink and the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, who are presently on
> tour on this continent.  The program states that the tour also includes Ann
> Arbour, Boston, Pasadena, Washington D.C. and New York, but does not state
> whether these cities are/were before or after this concert in Toronto.
> Nonetheless, if anyone still has the chance to hear this group, GRAB IT!
> 

I didn't get to hear them during this go-round, but I can heartily
second the recommendation.  When I first heard the orchestra live
(in U.C. Berkeley's Zellerbach auditorium in early 1971, doing the
Mozart Posthorn Serenade and Mahler 9th Symphony) the string tone
was extraordinary, but there were definite weaknesses in the brass.
Subsequent changes in personnel have seemed to do no damage to the
string sound but have strengthened the brass considerably (particularly
the french horns), resulting in an extraordinarily high quality,
well-balanced ensemble.  One regret I have is that Philips, since they
have "gone digital" seem to have lost their capacity to capture the
color and weight of this orchestra that so distinguished their analogue
recordings from the Concertgebouw in the 70's.  By this, I'm not
condemning the digital process per se, since London have captured these
qualities very successfully on the few digital recordings they've made there.

As far as Haitink himself is concerned, I think his very lack of ego
causes him to be underrated.  He's never considered in the "superstar"
category, yet he produces a steady stream of what I find exceptionally
satisfying musical performances.  The claim that a particular conductor
doesn't superimpose his own personality onto the music is sometimes
used as a way of hyping up a mediocrity.  I don't feel that it applies
to Haitink, since I find that he definitely has a character and style
of his own, but that this style is such that it still allows the music
to make its own statement.

	- Greg Paley