Haitink / London Philharmonic Orchestra * Complete Recordings On Decca & Philip (Box) [New CD]

Bernard Haitink was always a familiar figure in London where he was principal conductor of the London Philharmonic from 1967 to 1979 and was also seen at such prestigious British opera houses as Covent Garden and at Glyndebourne. This, the second of three volumes covering Haitink's complete recordings for Decca and Philips, focuses on his London years. The recordings cover a period of two decades, from 1967 (Dvorák with Heinrich Schiff) to 1986 (Rachmaninoff with Vladimir Ashkenazy.) Many of the hallmarks of Haitink's Concertgebouw recordings are present in these readings with the LPO. His unobtrusive authority - letting the score speak - was aptly summarized by Gramophone: "At no point is one remotely aware that the performance is being conducted. It simply is."