Bernard Haitnik introduction
Lesson time: (1min 28sec)
Bernard Haitink opens his masterclass on Brahms's Third Symphony - a work he calls problematic but wonderful - with six conductors set to take the podium.
Free lesson
This lesson is part of the course Brahms - Symphony No 3
Watch this lesson for free below.
Lesson transcript:
Understanding Conducting Through the Third Symphony
Hello. Nice to see you.
One Symphony, Six Conductors
As a matter of fact, seven. But I will not conduct. We come together here to try out several aspects of conducting with six conductors.
The Challenge of Conducting
The fun of conducting is that, once you are in an orchestra, and I was myself in an orchestra, one thinks it is easy. The moment you are standing there, it is really difficult. So keep that in mind.
A Problematic Work for Conductors
The Third Symphony is for us all, and I mean us conductors, and maybe not only first conductors, a very problematic work.
A Wonderful Piece to Start With
It's a wonderful piece to begin with. It has this very interesting division:
- Purely Symphonic: This means huge orchestral outbursts.
- Intimate Chamber Music: Then all of a sudden, it falls back into the most intimate chamber music.
This makes it difficult to perform. Because as a conductor, as a musician, as a performer, you have to understand both aspects.
About the instructor
With an international conducting career that has spanned more than five decades, Amsterdam-born Bernard Haitink is one of today's most celebrated conductors. Appointed Principal Conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from the beginning of the 2006-7 season, he has led many of the world's major orchestras, including more than 25 years at the helm of the Royal Concertgebouw as its music director. In addition, Mr Haitink has previously held posts as music director of the Dresden Staatskapelle, the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and the London Philharmonic. He is Conductor Laureate of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Conductor Emeritus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and an honorary member of the Berlin Philharmonic. He has made frequent guest appearances with the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio, London Symphony and other leading orchestras. Mr Haitink has recorded widely for the Phillips, Decca and EMI labels, including complete cycles of Mahler, Bruckner, and Schumann symphonies with the Concertgebouw and extensive repertoire with the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic orchestras and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. His most recent recordings are the complete Brahms and Beethoven symphonies with the London Symphony Orchestra on the LSO Live label. His discography also includes many opera recordings with the Royal Opera and Glyndebourne, as well as with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra and Dresden Staatskapelle. Mr Haitink's recording of Janacek's Jenufa with the orchestra, soloists, and chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden received a Grammy Award for best opera recording in 2004. Mr Haitink has received many international awards in recognition of his services to music, including both an honorary Knighthood and the Companion of Honour in the United Kingdom, and the House Order of Orange-Nassau in the Netherlands. He was named Musical America's "Musician of the Year" for 2007. In his MusicGurus course on Brahms' Symphony No. 3, Haitink draws on that lifetime at the podium to take you deep inside the score - how he shapes its phrasing, balance, tempo and structure - offering rare insight into how one of the great conductors reads and brings a Brahms symphony to life, whether you are a conductor, an orchestral player or a passionate listener. read more