Haitink and the LSO, Barbican Centre

Bernard Haitink is one of the living legends of classical music. His almost thirty year stint as the principal director of Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra saw their reputation to soar to become the most envied in the world. Now retired from permanent posts, he nevertheless remains an active guest conductor. In 2014, the London Symphony Orchestra played a series of concerts to mark his 85^th birthday. Three years later, he will return for another trio as part of the Barbican’s 2016-17 season.

First, on 23 May, he will devote an entire evening to one of the peaks of the symphonic repertoire. Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 (1908-9). Gargantuan in length and even broader in emotional terrain, it takes listeners into a surreal dreamworld before dying down in final gasp of despair. Don’t let this put you off, however – it abounds in sumptuous melodies.

On the 28 May, Haitink returns to the Barbican for a night devoted to Bruckner, Mahler’s immediate predecessor in symphonic gigantism. The concert begins with his Te Deum (1885), a serene choral piece that he hoped would conclude his final achievement. That work, his Symphony No. 9 (1896) follows. The product of almost a decade of addition and amendment, it is another colossal accomplishment. While Mahler’s ninth shows the pain of an unsettled mind, Bruckner’s reaches towards paradise. The London Symphony Chorus will join the orchestra for the evening, with soloists including soprano Sally Matthews.

Bruckner’s last masterpiece will receive a second airing in the third concert of the series, on 1 June. This time it will be preceded by Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 (1800). Opening with an echo of Mozart’s earlier work in the genre, it features one of the most extensive opportunities for soloist improvisation in the entire concerti repertoire. Who better to join Haitink, then, than pianist Mitsuko Uchida? One of the world’s greatest authorities on Beethoven and his contemporaries, she is sure to turn in a memorable performance.

Tickets for the Barbican Centre’s 2016-17 season open to the general public at 10am on 10 Feb. Members booking opens at the same time on 3 Feb, while Members Plus can purchase from 1 Feb.