Haitink

“Every conductor, including myself, has a sell-by date,” Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink recently told the New York Times. But at age 77 Haitink, currently principal conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, shows no sign of giving up anytime soon.

In 1991, he expressed relief that he wasn’t appointed as Herbert von Karajan’s successor at the Berliner Philharmoniker. The distinguished veteran of Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra said he was simply getting too old for new appointments. Fifteen years later, in 2006, the septuagenarian maestro accepted an invitation from the CSO to become principal conductor, a post that he will hold until 2010.

If this is slightly ironic, it isn’t a complete shock. Haitink has a track record of taking on major commitments. In addition to his duties in Chicago, he regularly accepts invitations to conduct in Boston, Berlin, and Vienna.

Haitink’s first concert as principal conductor of the CSO was a performance of Mahler’s Third, which earned rapturous reviews back in October 2006; this past fall, he chose Mahler’s fiery and tempestuous Sixth Symphony as the season opener. Not surprisingly, Mahler is one of the composers whose work Haitink will bring to Carnegie Hall for his two concerts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra—his first appearances here as Principal Conductor of the orchestra. The centerpieces of those programs, culled from the CSO spring repertoire, are Mahler’s First and Shostakovich’s Fourth.

Though featured on separate programs—interspersed with pieces by Haydn, Ravel, and Peter Lieberson—the two symphonies communicate with each other across eras and nationalities. The Fourth Symphony was, in fact, the first work where Shostakovich overtly acknowledged Mahler’s influence. The programming will come as no surprise to those who know the conductor’s affinity for both composers and his talent for creating holistic and unified performances of complex and multilayered music.

Haitink seems to be constantly underestimating himself. In 2004, on the occasion of his 75th birthday, he told the Guardian of London, “I started far too young with a world-famous orchestra … It is a miracle that I survived.” A look back on a distinguished career that is still in full swing shows that Haitink has not only survived but thrived.