after his death | Bernhard Heitenck: The star conductor of the orchestra in spite of himself

Hytenc was active all over the world, but his name is still closely related to the Amsterdam Concert Geepau orchestra, which he has conducted for more than a quarter of a century. His career began in 1957, when he became principal conductor of the Radio Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra. Four years later, he was appointed principal conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra in his hometown of Amsterdam, along with the much older Eugen Jochum. From 1964 he was alone. Until 2019 he was a regular at home.

However, I learned of his relationship with the orchestra Ascending and descending. In 1988, a row escalated over his additional position as head of the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in London, which he has held since 1984 as he indulged his passion for opera. Many guest conductors have also led, from the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra to the London Symphony Orchestra and European Chamber Orchestra.

Jean Rice, the former conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, got to know Hitink in 2008. “I know him as a very honest musician. For every piece of music and concert string, he bought a blank tune and rehearsed it as if it were something new, no matter how many times he played the music. He was He always had that young and fresh look, and he eschewed any routine. This is rare. He gave his musicians a lot of space and confidence, but at the same time he could be very convincing in a number of aspects such as changes of rhythm and balance. The transparent and cultured sound was his trademark. Never He goes for the decibel.He was a shy, skeptical and humble man: he did not see himself as a star but as an attractive medium.He was also very good at reading and an intellectual, a musician and a thinker.

Hytnik achieved world fame as the conductor of the romantic music of Brackner, Mahler and Strauss, and of French music – Debussy and Ravel. “The Departed Bruckners is one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. He was very good at that almost endless music, almost naked.

Young Flemish captain Martin Dendeville took three advanced semesters with Hitech in Lucerne. “It was admirable to stand next to him, to see and feel the movements of his hands, especially the psychological way in which he worked with the orchestra: the music came first, and if something went wrong, he took the blame and asked to do it again. He was very respectful of musicians and composers. He could. He imparted this great respect to an orchestra like no other, and he also lived to pass on his experience to young people.

It was inspiring hearing him talk about music, how he used to organize his time and read books to become a better conductor of the band. If you can make a connection between a writer like Thomas Mann and composers from that period, you will have a better sense of the world of these composers. If you can pass that on to an orchestra, that’s very special.