Music and Vinyl: Debussy

Bernard Haitink, the renowned Dutch conductor died last week aged 92. In his long career he was associated with many orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Chicago Symphony, as well as Glyndebourne Opera and the Royal Opera Covent Garden. But his most lasting relationship was his thirty year association with his hometown orchestra the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Here, critic Andrew Clements writes in an assessment of Haitink's career, that his "clarity and insight, and [his] utter lack of anything showy, epitomised Haitink’s strengths as an interpreter, which guaranteed his place in the pantheon of 20th-century conductors".

Bernard Haitink (1929-2021)

Though most often associated with the core symphonic repertoire as well as Bruckner and Mahler, Haitink's forays further afield were often notable, as in this recording of music by French impressionist Claude Debussy. The most substantial work on this album is La Mer (The Sea), first performed in 1905, and considered to be one of Debussy's most important pieces. This article on franceMusique entitled "Everything you need to know about "La Mer" by Debussy" does what it says and expands on the album's sleeve notes considerably.