Skip to main content

GREAT SAINT BERNARD Bernard Haitink bows out as Music Director of the Royal Opera on July 13 after the second of two farewell galas featuring a fully-staged programme of his choice. He will conduct Act 2 of 'Le nozze di Figaro ' (in Johannes Schaaf's production), the King's Study Scene from 'Don Carlos' ( Luchino Visconti) and the Closing Scene from 'Die Mei tersinger van Nurnberg '(Graham Vick). Though Haitink was initially a purely orchestral conductor, he has been central to British operatic life for a quarter of a century and-not forgetting such major debuts as the Met in 1982 ('Fidelio') and Salzburg in 1991 ('Figaro')-it is fair to say that he has enjoyed his greatest triumphs here. For a decade from 1977 he was Music Director of Glyndebourne, and left Sussex to take up the reins at the Royal Opera House where, over the last 15 years and in spite of many obstacles, he honed the orchestra into the great and versatile ensemble it now is. We bring together tributes from some of his closest colleagues, who appear in tactful alphabetical order, with the first three-Sir George Christie, John Cox and Jane Glover-along with Sir Simon Rattle representing his Glyndebourne years, and two successive Royal Opera General Directors, Sir John Tooley and Sir Jeremy Isaacs, along with one of the house's leading singers, John Tomlinson, summing up his achievements at Covent Garden. Few outside the managements and orchestras themselves have heard more Haitink performances than Rodney Milnes, who also touches on the political contro versy that surrounded Haitink when, during the darkest years at Covent Garden, he was accused of not standing up enough to a philistine Board. The state of the orchestra today suggests that he knew what he was doing all along, and its standard is the best tribute ever. Sir George Chri tie Bernard Haitink came for the first time to Glyndebourne in 1972 to conduct Die Entfiihrung aus dem Serail. He was at the time the Principal Conductor and Arti tic Director of the LPO, Glyndebourne' re ident orchestra. So there wa a degree of incest in thi s turn of events. But the incestuousne of the tory doe not top there. John Pritchard was Glyndebourne's Music Director at the time of Bernard's first engagement at Glyndebourne and Bernard had succeeded John as the Principal Conductor of the LPO. Bernard then in 1977 succeeded John Pritchard as Glyndebourne's Music Director. Talk about mu ical chairs ... Bernard' engagement for Die Entfiihrung met initially with one very mall discordant voice (possessor of which I won 't of course disclo e, but who was quickly won over by Bernard). The grounds for any anxiety had entirely to do with the ab ence of almo t any operatic experience in Bernard's CY--except for Don Carlos and Der fliegende Hollander-and the thought that he wa therefore not a man of the theatre. It j ust shows how wrong the world of music i in pigeon-holing people according to preconceptions of irrational or thoughtless prej udice. Bernard proved to be innately theatrical in a multitude of ways. He carried all his performer with him: the orchestra loved him and the ingers found a kindred pirit of in pi ration. He was, I believe, tru ly happy at Glyndebourne. He was free of the 798 Opera, July 2002

care of the world and could in collaboration with people whom he tru ted-who were free of political motive and machination - imply make mu ic, and make mu ic dramatically with convincing effect. He wa for Glyndebourne a great Mu ic Director. And he i a great friend . John Cox Bernard made hi Glyndebourne debut in 1972, which wa the year I became it Director of Production. Over the next 15 year we did eight production together, all but two of them new, and while I could never claim to have been very clo e to Bernard we eemed to be compatible. The then traditional Glyndebourne etho uited him. He i a quiet man with a steady, if nece ary tubborn, purpo e. He believe in the sanctity of the rehear al proces , that it i collaborati ve and that there i no ub titute for being there in per on. Working be ide him ha a ecurity to it , like being at sea ( one often i at rehear al) with a good helm man. The degree of tru t that he repo e in hj director i uch that it become a point of honour to get it right in time for the orche tral stage rehear al . Then hi mu ical vi ion can take over. 'StarryVere', I uppo e, withaboatload ofdi ver e talent all trainingforthe perfect voyage: Gesamtkunstwerk; opera at it be t; why we do it. For two of our productions we had David Hackney a de igner and of the e The Rake '.s Progress has become a bit of a cla ic. Bernard in i ted on conducting every revival while he wa at Glyndebourne. We tri ed to add Haydn to the canon with La fede lta premiata, a delightful work which uited Glyndebourne perfectly, but which proved to be a one-off in pite of Bernard's deft and witty handling. We hould have per isted. Then we did three by Richard Strau s, enabling Bernard to bring to the opera hi pecial affi ni ty with the late Romantic orche tra. (Watching rum once conduct a Bruckner symphony without a core wa an emotionally hattering experience.) Hi • John Cox'.s production of'The Rake 's Progress' at Glyndebourne, in a 1978 revival, with (/. tor.) John Michael Flanagan (Trulove), Felicity Lott (Anne), Leo Goeke (Tom), Katherine Pring ( Baba) and Samuel Ramey (Nick Shadow) Opera, July 2002 799

Page Text

care of the world and could in collaboration with people whom he tru ted-who were free of political motive and machination - imply make mu ic, and make mu ic dramatically with convincing effect.

He wa for Glyndebourne a great Mu ic Director. And he i a great friend .

John Cox Bernard made hi Glyndebourne debut in 1972, which wa the year I became it Director of Production. Over the next 15 year we did eight production together, all but two of them new, and while I could never claim to have been very clo e to Bernard we eemed to be compatible. The then traditional Glyndebourne etho uited him. He i a quiet man with a steady, if nece ary tubborn, purpo e. He believe in the sanctity of the rehear al proces , that it i collaborati ve and that there i no ub titute for being there in per on. Working be ide him ha a ecurity to it , like being at sea ( one often i at rehear al) with a good helm man. The degree of tru t that he repo e in hj director i uch that it become a point of honour to get it right in time for the orche tral stage rehear al . Then hi mu ical vi ion can take over. 'StarryVere', I uppo e, withaboatload ofdi ver e talent all trainingforthe perfect voyage: Gesamtkunstwerk; opera at it be t; why we do it.

For two of our productions we had David Hackney a de igner and of the e The Rake '.s Progress has become a bit of a cla ic. Bernard in i ted on conducting every revival while he wa at Glyndebourne. We tri ed to add Haydn to the canon with La fede lta premiata, a delightful work which uited Glyndebourne perfectly, but which proved to be a one-off in pite of Bernard's deft and witty handling. We hould have per isted. Then we did three by Richard Strau s, enabling Bernard to bring to the opera hi pecial affi ni ty with the late Romantic orche tra. (Watching rum once conduct a Bruckner symphony without a core wa an emotionally hattering experience.) Hi

• John Cox'.s production of'The Rake 's Progress' at Glyndebourne, in a 1978 revival, with (/. tor.) John Michael Flanagan (Trulove), Felicity Lott (Anne), Leo Goeke (Tom), Katherine Pring ( Baba) and Samuel Ramey (Nick Shadow)

Opera, July 2002

799

My Bookmarks

Skip to main content