Haitink

Since relations between him and the orchestra are far warmer than they were with Barenboim at the end of his tenure — when Bernard Haitink and Pierre Boulez agreed to take on responsibilities in the interregnum, before Muti was hired — it makes sense for him to help fill the coming gap.

Major American orchestras, of the kind that ought to know better, are competing to acquire his future services; from 2027 to 2032, at least, he will lead the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam — the orchestra of Willem Mengelberg, Eduard van Beinum and Bernard Haitink, one of the most storied ensembles of them all.

The Vienna Philharmonic premiered the Eighth on Dec. 18, 1892, and will be playing it for the sixth time at Carnegie after performances with Karajan in 1959 and 1989, Karl Böhm in 1967, Georg Solti in 1993 and Bernard Haitink in 2002.

The contrast was stunning when, in 2006, Bernard Haitink brought the London Symphony Orchestra to Avery Fisher for a survey of Beethoven’s nine symphonies.

“Muti is probably the most consistent music director, interpreter, that we’ve had,” said Friedman, who joined the orchestra in 1962 and has played under Fritz Reiner, Jean Martinon, Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim and Bernard Haitink.