Bernard Haitink, a well-known Dutch conductor, died at the age of 92 at his home in London.
In a 65-year career, he conducted the world’s greatest orchestras in London, Amsterdam, Chicago, and Dresden.
Haitink, who was born in Amsterdam in 1929, won several honors and was a prominent player in the UK’s classical music scene.
His performances with the London Symphony Orchestra were praised as “ravishing” even in his final months on the podium.
Haitink recorded over 450 times and considered his task as embracing the orchestra without smothering it.
His management organization announced his death late Thursday night, adding that one of his generation’s most acclaimed conductors had died peacefully at home.
Bernard Haitink established his name as a conductor in the Netherlands, where he began his artistic career as a violinist after spending much of his youth under Nazi occupation.
His major break came with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, and he was requested to take over the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam within six years.
He was head conductor for 27 years and was well-known for his Mahler and Bruckner concerts. The Concertgebouw announced the death of its “beloved, honorary conductor” on Friday.
“It’s as if the power gets turned on when he takes up the baton,” his wife Patricia once commented. “When it’s done, he’s presented with himself once again.”
Haitink has played with nearly all of the world’s major orchestras, most notably the London Philharmonic, Royal Opera, and Glyndebourne Festival Opera in the United Kingdom.
During his tenure at the Royal Opera House from 1987 to 2002, he was most renowned for his rendition of Wagner, according to the Royal Opera House. CEO Alex Beard described him as a great gentleman whose “quiet leadership and profound concern and regard for his fellow artists inspired and touched beyond words.”
Haitink’s first Royal Albert Hall Prom was Bruckner’s 65-minute Seventh Symphony in 1966, and he performed the same symphony for the final time there 53 years later.
Haitink was well-known in the United States as the conductor of the Chicago and Boston Symphony orchestras, and in Germany as the conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Berlin Philharmonic.
Christian Thielemann, principal conductor of the Staatskapelle, stated on Friday that he was “one of the most significant conductors of our time.”
According to the Dutch royal family, Haitink’s “drive and melodic elegance are indelible,” illuminating the essence of composers such as Mahler, Bruckner, Beethoven, and many more.