Lost in Autumn

The programmes presented by Bernard Haitink in his last several guest appearances with the Berlin Philharmonic have followed a similar pattern: a compact, classically-proportioned work in the first half, followed by a longer more ambitiously romantic piece in the second. His most recent concert, which paired Schubert’s unfinished B minor symphony with Mahler’s expansive Das Lied von der Erde – in the composer-approved but rarely performed version for tenor and baritone – did not deviate from the formula. Both pieces stand close to the centre of the standard repertoire and neither has been unduly neglected in recent years; yet on this evening, the two works were given performances that resonated with a kind of sound judgment and subtle refinement that is becoming increasingly rare. The taciturn Mr Haitink never suggested that he was on a…