What's wrong with sanity?

Haitink is often labeled as a sane and safe conductor, bordering on dullness. This hardly does justice to his work. Work of Haitink needs to be reevaluated and appreciated as he is quite misunderstood as a merely safe pair of hands. Haitink has an impeccable taste, and everything is well judged. Everything in this set is first rate, and some even more: there is hardly a better Mahler 9th around, and if Günter Wand's Bruckner 4th is raved about and rightly so, so is Haitink's Bruckner 4th uncommonly fresh and unaffected. Only Mahler's and Bruckner's 8th are somewhat controversial.

If compared to some of his colleagues, he is Karajan without his outsize ego and Szell with warmth. Every single instrument is audible so that these performance can be used for pedagogical purposes to learn the scores. Haitink is certainly a shrewd guide, as he introduced both Bruckner (7th) and Mahler (4th) to me in almost quarter a century ago. Still Haitink's recordings set the standard for me, they are to live with. More savagery might occasionally be wanted, as the Concertgebouw execute even the ugliest sounds cleanly, and manage to elevate some moments of banality to meaningfulness in the sheer perfection of playing.

Haitink's Brahms is throughoutly enjoyable, and in comparison Klemperer whose set I just acquired feels somewhat rugged if charismatic. In Haitink's Bruckner only 6th and 8th need to be replaced with another recordings; in 6th Klemperer or Celibidache and in 8th almost anybody, e.g. Wand. Haitink clearly believes that Bruckner's early symphonies are also music to be taken seriously. In Mahler the 9th is a top recommendation, quite probably the number one recommendation in studio recordings. In Mahler 3th Haitink's restraint works beautifully, but there is no want of intensity, it is only kept in check. 6th symphony is surprisingly lively. Only 8th symphony somewhat disappoints, as it only gathers momentum in the great finale, prior to it being too lightweight.

What about alternative versions, then? In Mahler 4th his later recording with the Concertgebouw is more desirable, and in Bruckner 8th his digital recording with the Vienna represents both Bruckner and Haitink better. Otherwise and in general his earlier thoughts as assembled here will do, and are in most cases more than adequate. Haitink managed to suprise me throughout this set with his selfless top class musicianship. These recordings are to live with, and more than so.

Merry 87th birthday, Bernard! I have my 45th birthday on Monday and I celebrated by ordering this set. This review can be read also at Amazon.co.uk.