The focus of his prolific recording was classical symphonies and orchestral works, but he also conducted operas.

[9] After the sudden death of Eduard van Beinum, Haitink was named first conductor of the Concertgebouw on 1 September 1959.

[10] With the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Haitink made many recordings for the Philips label, and later for Decca and EMI Classics.

[16] He was music director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, from 1987 to 2002, where his musicianship was praised, though he also received criticism for his degree of attachment to the organisation as a whole.

His original contract with Dresden ran to 2006, but he resigned in 2004 over disputes with the Staatskapelle's Intendant, Gerd Uecker, over the orchestra's choice of successor.

[20] In addition, he appeared with l'Orchestre National de France[21] and the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO).

"[27] He concluded his Chicago principal conductorship in June 2010 with a series of concerts of the complete Beethoven symphonies[28] and was awarded the Theodore Thomas Medallion by the orchestra.

[29] In 2004, Haitink said he would no longer conduct opera, but he made exceptions in 2007, directing three performances of Parsifal in Zürich in March and April and five of Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande in Paris (Théâtre des Champs-Élysées) in June.

[33] In June 2015, the European Union Youth Orchestra announced his appointment as its conductor laureate, effective immediately.

[34] In June 2019, Haitink said in an interview with the Dutch daily De Volkskrant that his final concert as conductor was to be in September 2019, formalising his previously announced sabbatical into retirement.

[3] In 1994 Haitink married his fourth wife, Patricia (née Bloomfield), a barrister who was formerly a viola player in the orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.