One of the Netherlands’ most important conductors, Edo de Waart, is laying down his baton after an illustrious career of sixty years. He made the decision quite unexpectedly this week because he said he was ‘no longer sure whether he could still do his job properly’.
Edo the wait. Photo: © Jesse Willems
He said at his farewell to the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra: “I had the best time of my life here. This is an orchestra where people treat each other kindly, without kinship.”
Edo de Waart was born in 1941 and studied oboe with Haakon Stotijn and Cees van der Kraan and orchestral conducting with Jaap Spaanderman at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam. In 1963 he was appointed oboist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra.
In 1964, at the age of 23, De Waart won the Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting competition in New York. He then worked for a year as assistant conductor for Leonard Bernstein, who led the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
After his return to the Netherlands, De Waart was appointed assistant conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Bernard Haitink. In 1967, De Waart took over the leadership of the then Netherlands Wind Ensemble and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. He was also artistic director of this orchestra from 1973 to 1979.
In 1975 De Waart made his debut with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. The following year he became principal guest conductor, and from 1977 to 1985 he was artistic director. During his time in San Francisco, De Waart became acquainted with John Adams, whose works he has since regularly conducted and has also recorded on CD. From 1986 to 1995 he was chief conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra.
CD omslag Nixon in China
In 1989, De Waart returned to the Netherlands to become chief of the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, a position he held for 16 years. Afterwards he was appointed honorary conductor of this orchestra.
In 1995, De Waart became chief conductor of Australia’s Sydney Symphony Orchestra, a post he left in 2004 to become chief conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.
Opera
In addition to symphonic works, De Waart conducts a lot of opera. He has led productions at the Dutch Opera (Stichting) since 1970, and was chief conductor from 1999. In 2002, however, De Waart announced his premature departure (as of 2004) from the DNO due to a difference in artistic vision.
De Waart has a great reputation as an opera conductor. He conducted his first opera in 1970 (The Saint of Bleecker Street by Menotti) and his career took him to the San Francisco Opera, where he worked, among others Nixon in China by John Adams and a complete Ring cycle, the Bayreuth Festival, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Salzburg Festival, the Opéra Bastille in Paris and the Royal Opera Covent Garden in London. He worked in San Diego, Houston Grand Opera and Santa Fe, where he also had a brief stint as chief conductor.
He conducted several times at the Met. For the first time in 1998 when he The Magic Flute conducted. He was also a guest for The Marriage of Figaro (both in 1999 and 2014) and was seen and heard in cinemas around the world when he The Rosenkavalier conducted in the Met in HD series in 2010, a production he had also conducted the season before.
Renée Fleiming, Susan Graham and Miah Person in the final of The Rosenkavalier at the Metropolitan Opera in 2009. Conductor Edo de Waart. Photo: © Ken Howard Metropolitan Opera
RFO
As chief conductor of the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, he conducted, among other things, a complete Ring of the Nibelung cycle (Wagner)Arabella, The Woman Without a Shadow, Salome, Der Rosenkavalier (Strauss), The Miracle of Heliane (Korngold)Cardillac (Hindemith), Respighi’s La Fiamma, The Marked Ones from Schreker en Prokofievs War and peace in The Trojans by Hector Berlioz, but also Massenets Wertherjust a selection of the many highlights in the Matinee alone.
Opera in the Netherlands
At the Dutch Opera (Foundation) the list is even more impressive.
Of those already mentioned Saint of Bleecker Street, via The rake’s progress, Lohengrin (1972), Erwartung, Bluebeard’s Castle, Aida to the legendary The Rosenkavalier in 1974 with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and with Evelyn Lear, Frederica von Stade, Ruth Welting, Jules Bastin, Derrek Hammond-Stroud and José Carreras in the most important roles. The recording with the same cast on Philips is proof of a truly exceptional production.
LP Hoes The Rosenkavalier
After his first Lohengrin in 1972, Richard Wagner also followed suit Tannhäuser, The Flying Dutchman (with Thomas Steward in the title role)Parsifal, The Mastersingers of Nuremberg en again Lohengrin in 2001.
De Waart also built up a great reputation as a Janáček conductor Jenůfa, Kát’a Kabanová en De zaak Makropulos in Amsterdam. Van Beethovens Fidelio he conducted two different productions, he gave the Dutch premiere of Nixon in China by John Adams and again an impressive one in 2004 The Rosenkavalier. Peter Grimes, Pique Dame, Boris Godoenov, Don Giovanni, The dwarf in Carmenthe list of operas conducted by de Waart is enormous.
Edo de Waart in the Concertgebouw. Photo: © Simon van Boxtel
Edo de Waart demanded a lot from himself and his musicians. He was extremely well prepared, knew how to build orchestras like almost no other and had a great love for the human voice. As a conductor and artistic director, he had a clear vision that he passionately defended. After sixty years of intense work all over the world, Edo de Waart can now hopefully enjoy his retirement with his family and friends all over the world.
Continue reading, listening and watching
In 2019, Edo de Waart led a concert performance of the first act of The Valkyrie in Rotterdam. Peter Franken was full of praise.
Martin Toet also described Edo de Waart in 2014 as a Wagner conductor.
The ride of the Valkyries with the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra conducted. Edo de Waart
Presenting the Silver Rose The Rosenkavalier from the Met in HD in 2010.
Interview with Edo de Waart in Hong Kong
