Bernard Haitink teaches Brahms: Symphony No. 3

Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink gives a masterclass to six students of the Royal College of Music of London on his conducting experience and on Brahms's Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90.

Bernard Haitink is one of the most sought-after contemporary conductors. For more than 25 years, he has been the musical director of the Royal Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), the Staatskapelle (Dresden), the Royal Opera House (or Covent Garden) in London, the Glyndebourne Festival and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. In more than 50 years of career, he conducted the most prestigious orchestras in the world.

This masterclass dedicated to Brahms, one of his favorite composers, stresses Bernard Haitink's attention to detail and strength of character, revealing the secrets of the Symphony No. 3. Composed during the summer of 1833, almost six years after his Symphony No. 2, the Symphony No. 3 was catcalled by Wagner's supporters when it was premiered, reinvigorating the passion of Brahms's supporters for this work that is still very popular today. Indeed, the theme of the third movement, very recognizable, figures in many songs, such as Serge Gainsbourg's Baby Alone in Babylone, Yves Montand's Quand tu dors près de moi, Frank Sinatra's Take My Love or Carlos Santana's Love of my life, and in films such as Park Chan-Wook's Old Boy or Anatole Litvak's Aimez-vous Brahms.... This score is very influenced by Schumann's work, and even quotes Schumann's Symphony No. 3 (also known as the Rhenish).

The Masterclass Media Foundation Archives offer to students and music lovers around the world filmed masterclasses, given by the best talents, on the greatest works of the classical repertoire. Their primary purpose is to provide a valuable educational resource in order to perpetuate passion and knowledge from one generation to another.