In 1957 Bernard Haitink became principal conductor of the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. At the age of 90 - after countless conductorships worldwide - he said farewell to the Dutch public with that very first orchestra of his debut again. That was during the ZaterdagMatinee in the Concertgebouw, the venue he had been associated with for a long time as conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra since
… 1961. As energetic as he could be there in the 1960s, he was magically slow during his farewell with Bruckner's Seventh. It never gets boring, because not a note seems to escape his attention. In 2010, Haitink spoke out openly against the government's plan to abolish music societies on the radio. This action was reason for the orchestra and the former conductor to tighten their bonds again. This resulted in a number of memorable Mahler, Brahms and Bruckner performances. Including this one with Bruckner's Seventh. (HJ)more
