Bernard Haitink, R.I.P.

Yes, arguably the greatest conductor this  country has ever had. I grew up with his performances of the Mahler symphonies on the annual Christmas Matinee in the 1970's, broadcast live on national television. Treasured memories for sure.

Some people may not be aware that the typical Philips orchestral sound in the 70's was as much the result of their own  engineering priorities as of the unique characteristics of the Concertgebouw. That space has a miraculous capacity to sound glowingly warm, while at the same time illuminating every little sonic detail. Philips recordings tended to emphasize the hall's warmth, often at the expense of detail. Decca recordings with Haitink's successor Chailly from the 1980's had a different approach, less of the warmth and more of the 'pin drop' detail retrieval. The industry's switch to digital recording that happened around that time may have played a part in that as well. The Concertgebouw was perhaps one of the very few concert halls in the world that actually benefited early digital technology.

By the end of the analogue era Philips finally did nail it with the recording of the orchestral works of Debussy, partly made just prior to Haitink's departure as chief conductor. While 1977's La Mer is still overly lush and soft, 1980's Jeux and Nocturnes have that warm glow AND illuminate every musical detail, no matter how small. The difference is overwhelming. While Haitink is not generally associated with French music, to me this represents his finest hour as a conductor.

I played the whole set again today in his memory and can most 'warmly' recommend it to any music lover.

Chailly is an interesting conductor for his choice of repertoire. His style was very different from Haitink and more modernist, sometimes considered as clinical not unlike Boulez conducting style. This shows in their way with Mahler, which I don’t particularly enjoy.

Perhaps the best Decca recordings from the CGO in the early 80’s involved Russian music, like the Rachmaninov symphonies under Ashkenazy and several Shostakovich symphonies under Haitink himself.

To get the overwhelming sensation of being in that very hall while in your own living room, try the Rachmaninov no.1.....

Don't know much about Jansons. By the time he took over, I was fully engaged with collecting vinyl records from the 50's and 60's.

Agreed, the Shostakovich no.15 stands as one of Haitink's best performances as well as well as best orchestral recordings of all time.

Back to the Concertgebouw, I agree with the observation that the Ashkenazy recordings sound more spacious than most others made there at the time. Perhaps they did away with that midhall curtain. Another great example of the wide open hall sound is Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances from the same period. But actually Decca gave Ashkenazy a somewhat similar sound for his Sibelius cycle with the Philharmonia Orchestra London, recorded in Kingsway Hall. And later also for his Shostakovich symphonies with the RPO, no.4 being a great example. So this wide hall perspective may well have been Ashkenazy's preference. Somewhat underrated as a conductor, these recordings are highly recommended!

As for recorded sound in the 60's and early 70's, there is simply no comparison between Decca and Philips. Snob appeal notwithstanding, there's a 'sound' reason audiophile record collectors are willing to pay a premium for Decca UK pressings.