A good man, and a clean liver, Herbert Blomstedt was a devout Seventh Day Adventist, who didn’t smoke, didn’t drink, didn’t eat meat, and didn’t imbibe caffeine. Nor did he rehearse on Friday nights or Saturdays, when Adventists observe the Sabbath. However, he got around any restrictions on performing at those times, since he considered his music-making to be an expression of his religious devotion.
Though his parents were Swedish, and the family would return to Northern Europe (where they made their home in Sweden and Finland), he was actually born in Springfield, MA, and he would spend his first two years in the United States. Perhaps it was his destiny that he would become such a fine interpreter of Nordic music.
Decca Records picked up on that, when at the peak of his career, while music director of the San Franciso Symphony, they signed him to record Nielsen, Sibelius, Franz Berwald, and Grieg, though personally I found his Hindemith better than any of them. Of course, prior to that, he had been recording on regional labels in Scandinavia, and some of those performances are very fine indeed and often much more interesting.
Blomstedt studied at the Stockholm Royal College of Music and at the University of Uppsala. Though over time he seemed to cultivate his specialties – in addition to the Nordic composers I mentioned, he distinguished himself through unfussy interpretations of the core Austro-German repertoire – his versatility was astonishing. He was at home in contemporary music, from very early on, jumping in at the deep end at Darmstadt, and then he turned around and studied Baroque music at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland.
In addition, he studied conducting with Igor Markevitch, Jean Morel at Juilliard, and Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood. I would be hard-pressed to think of any conductor less like Bernstein than Blomstedt!
Much of his career was tied to music directorships in Northern and Central Europe. Rightly or wrongly, the Scandinavian orchestras (the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Danish Radio Symphony, the Swedish Radio Symphony) would have been better known, and perhaps more highly regarded, outside their respective regions, by record collectors. At least that would have been the case at the time. But the standard of playing and recording, once you attain a certain level, especially nowadays, is pretty damn impressive no matter where you are.
In Germany, he led the Staatskapelle Dresden from 1975 to 1985 and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra from 1998 to 2005. But it was in San Francisco (where he was music director from 1985 to 1995) that he was given the “glossy” treatment – courtesy of the British (Decca Records was headquartered in London) and American PR machines – which I must say was glaringly incongruous given the subject. There was never anything flashy about Blomstedt himself.
By the way, I hear his name mispronounced all the time, with people – even broadcasters – saying the “st” combo in “Blomstedt” as if he were German, with an “sh”-sound before the “t,” but that’s not how it’s said in Sweden. It’s an unfussy “st” as in “street.”
In his later 90s, Blomstedt wound up taking several spills. He’d been conducting from a seated position for quite a while – and who could blame him? – but on at least one occasion, he keeled so far over to one side, nearby musicians had to ensure he simply didn’t tumble off the podium. He wound up canceling a number of engagements since the spring.
I am glad he got to do what he loved for so very long. Innumerable listeners have been touched by his performances, with many swearing by some of his late career appearances. I heard him conduct Bruckner in Philadelphia a few seasons ago, when he was 95, and I’m sorry to say it didn’t do much for me. However, I was grateful to be able to be in his presence one last time. I’m just sorry it wasn’t one of the nights that that inexplicable synergy between conductor, orchestra, and score took hold. Reviews in his later years often cited his unpretentious, deeply spiritual, and structurally lucid approach. That’s fine if everything connects. Otherwise, it’s simply code for respectable, but not terribly engaging. But I concede that it could have been me. I might have been tired, or wired, from pushing against traffic on my drive into the city. Who knows? You have to be in the right headspace to get the most out of certain concerts.
I did hear him before, however, when he was still in his prime, during the Decca era, also in Philadelphia. On the second half of the program was Carl Nielsen’s Symphony No. 6, the least ingratiating of Nielsen’s symphonies, since no one seems to really know what to make of it. But Blomstedt did a great job teasing out its ambiguities. That was 39 years ago, and still the only time I ever heard it in concert!
With Blomstedt, it was always all about the music. In his later years, he came to exude a serene authority. Philosophically, he regarded music as an agent for positive change. Often poking fun at himself as being perhaps a little naïve, he would then gently assert his belief that listeners exposed to the beauty of great music would be made to consider that they have just experienced something larger than themselves, and perhaps they would try to live better, more considerate lives as a result.
You have to give the guy credit. Music was his life, and he kept at it as long as he could – perhaps longer than he should have. There is a point, as an audience member, when it starts to get a little uncomfortable when you can’t concentrate on the music because you’re worried about the safety of the conductor.
His passing is major news. In his prime, he was respected, but he was never a self-promoter. He hung on long enough that critics began to realize his worth, and he assumed a kind of sage reputation as one of the exceptional conductors of our time. Modest almost to a fault, he was yet widely loved, and like everyone else, I am sorry to see him go.
Herbert Blomstedt died today at his home in Gothenburg at the age 99.
A life well-lived. Thank you, and R.I.P.
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Nice clip from the Cleveland Orchestra. I think it really gives you a sense of the man. The music is from Carl Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4 “Inextinguishable.”
Veteran Conductor Herbert Blomstedt Has Died at 99
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36 responses to “Veteran Conductor Herbert Blomstedt Has Died at 99”
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Thanks for posting this so quickly. I saw Blomstedt conduct the National Symphony Orchestra in 2012 and 2015 when they were not quite as good as they are at present. The repertoire was pretty standard – Strauss, Bruckner, and Beethoven – but he made them sound magnificent! The Library of Congress, which holds the Leonard Bernstein Collection, has posted a 1967 letter from Blomstedt to Bernstein: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C4eHmzUzm/
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Mather Pfeiffenberger Quite the interesting document! Thank you. To my knowledge, Bernstein never did conduct that orchestra, although of course he made that fantastic Nielsen record in Denmark a few years earlier. The typed superscription is unexpectedly topical, in light of Bernstein’s prior commitment to the Kennedy Center, now so much in the news for all the wrong reasons. Blomstedt’s warmth, modesty, and sincerity really come across in his writing. Also, I am touched that there’s a hand-scrawled note at the top in which someone, I would like to think Bernstein himself, wrote, “Would love to do it sometime but not now.” I don’t think I’m reading too much into it when I sense the mutual respect between them.
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And the Boston Symphony Orchestra has just posted his 1953 application to the Berkshire Music Center and accompanying letter, in which Bernstein is mentioned: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DWMDp942R/
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Mather Pfeiffenberger Amazing. So young in the photo on the application, too. Even giants started small!
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He looks like George Will.
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Eden Elieff I always thought so too, but I’d gotten so used to it that I forgot about it until you pointed it out!
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Clean liver not to mention his pancreas and kidneys
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Gerald Masahiro Sato I know. I recognized it as I was writing it, and I could easily have phrased it another way, but I’m glad it gives you some amusement. 🙂
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How incredible …a wonderful background you have e plotted for us readers, thank you.
Wow a man so highly principled. I had the distinct honour of meeting him in a conducting seminar and having the privilege of dining with him as a group of young musicians. This is my tribute to Maestro Blomstedt.The passing of Maestro Herbert Blomstedt at the age of 99 brings back a treasured memory from my undergraduate music studies at the Thayer Conservatory at Atlantic Union College in Massachusetts, USA.
Dr James Bingham, Chairman of the Music Department and Director of Choirs, arranged for Maestro Blomstedt, then Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony, to lead a conducting seminar with us at the conservatory. Afterwards, a few of us had the privilege of dining with him in Dr Bingham’s home. Around that dinner table, his warmth and openness put us at ease, allowing us to ask questions and explore some of the intricacies of orchestral conducting with a musician of extraordinary stature.
Central to his guidance was the importance of first becoming a good musician: a grounding in instrumental training, harmony and counterpoint, together with a clear inner conception of the sound before conducting.
He was in his sixties at the time and, having made his professional debut in 1954, had already been conducting for some 36 or 37 years. In my simplicity, as an undergraduate student only just being introduced to conducting, I asked whether, after so many years, there was anything more he could still learn. I will never forget his response: “Only now, in my sixties, do I feel I am coming into my prime as a conductor.”
As a conductor, I have come to appreciate more deeply the significance of his answer—the continuing work of honing one’s skills and delving more deeply into a score to convey the composer’s intentions.
His generosity towards us as young students remains as vivid in my memory as his wisdom. To have learnt from him and shared such easy conversation is a privilege I will always treasure.
Maestro Herbert Blomstedt, thank you for the music, the wisdom, and the encouragement you gave to those still finding their way.
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Karen Schofield-Nel Beautiful. Thank you. I’m happy for you that you had that cherished experience.
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So glad I was privileged to have a symphony subscription for his time in San Francisco. A beloved man. I had a ticket to Mahler’s 9th but he was unable to perform it. Music was his life and he fulfilled his mission here on earth. It is a sad day for music lovers.
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beautiful reading. thanks
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Just one month ago, on the 28th of September, Maestro Blomstedt joined us in the 10 year Jubilee for the Wilhelm Stenhammar Society in Gothenburg. That was probably the last time he was able to leave his flat nearby.
This photo was taken with three young Swedish and one Ukrainian pianist at the event. Blomstedt was more or less the last one (!) to leave the party, with lively discussions about music with local artists and conductors.
R I P Maestro.Media: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=40869164106015919&set=p.40869164106015919&type=3
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Anders Wikström Thank you for this. There’s no question, his extraordinary vitality and longevity were tied to an abiding love of music and his eagerness to share it with others. You are lucky to have had this experience.
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I heard him in Berlin in April earlier this year: one of the best concerts I have ever been to (and I have been to many).
❤️💔 -
Thanks for this outstanding tribute
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A life well lived, to the very end. RIP HB
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Saw him conduct Mahler 9 with the Detroit Symphony this past May. What an experience!
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Brahms enjoyed cigars and Hungarian wine…
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Very nice words with insight and respect.
I had the great pleasure of encountering Blomstedt in Copenhagen on four occasions after his concerts to get an autograph and have a brief chat with him – which was always a gratifying experience.
During a short exchange about Bruckner I felt that he could have gone on for hours elaborating about the music and what it signifies. His engagement was genuinely profound but frequently also brightened by a humorous light hearted remark.-
Igor Tomaszewski From everything I’ve read and all the interviews I’ve seen with him, I get a sense that he genuinely loved people, especially when it came to communicating through and about music. I am happy for you that you have these special memories.
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So am I Classic Ross Amico.
The short conversations with a person of such profound knowledge and wisdom like Blomstedt are priceless. I sorely miss that generation to which my Parents also belonged. -
Igor Tomaszewski I can’t tell you how often I too miss those of that generation. Sincere thanks for reaching out.
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Igor Tomaszewski You are SO right! He was colossal … in a very charming and understated way! His old “buddies” in Leipzig and Dresden loved him. I met them … back in 2001 (among other oevres was a mass by von Weber) … I teased them … (Calvin and Hobbes, go home 😜). I said: You know what we call Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic? Herbie and his band! They laughed. Now, what should we call you? ….. I answered: Another Herbie and his bands! 😜 They laughed and giggled at the same time! Notably, the reaction of Herbert Blomstedt was a very relaxed and radiant laughter – mostly expressed from his eyes and warm ear-to-ear-smile! ♥️
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Lucky you (including that Blomstedt had a fine sense of humor) Frank Samuelsen and a great recollection 🤗
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Igor Tomaszewski Again, you are so very right! Blomstedt had a very fine – not to say REFINED – sense of humour … and so warm!!! It was a privilige to work with him! ♥️
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As a teenager in the 1970s, I witnessed a performance of Ravel’s Bolero conducted by Maestro Blomstedt. To this day that performance remains the greatest, most effective delivery of this marvelous composition. The Maestro’s seemingly restrained approach brought out the erotic tension of the music. RIP
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A fine obituary over a fine human and one of the great conductors.
His work lives on in his recordings. -
The only time I heard him in person was on open rehearsal of the Philadelphia Orchestra in the 90s. I don’t remember what opened the program but it included the Rochberg Oboe Concerto (I wish I could find a recording of the piece) and the best “Eroica” I’ve hear in person, and I’ve seen it performed by Ormandy, Skrowaczewski and Vonk.
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I studied conducting him in 1982 at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute. He put me through my paces when I naively volunteered for the first movement of the Beethoven 5th Symphony. He was a remarkable and exacting musician and teacher, and in a half an hour or so, I learned so much about what was expected of me and what responsibility rested on my shoulders. He will be sorely missed. And thank you, Maestro!
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Mark Janas Thank you for sharing your experience!
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Was this the time to critique so many things about this remarkable man? I probably would have edited some that out of this, however, you are correct in noting that he was one of the exceptional conductors of our time…and widely loved. It is a great loss to the musical world.
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Dianne Sjören Beall I didn’t really critique him. I love the man. I’m just saying his Bruckner didn’t land with me that night, and it could very well have been me, not him. But you’re right, if I could take the time to edit it, I probably would. I meant no disrespect. Of course, I didn’t anticipate it would get shared all over the internet! I was also afraid my remarks about the Swedish and Danish orchestras may have landed badly. I have many fine recordings by these groups. Herbert Blomstedt was indeed a remarkable man.
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He was in the club of the greatest conductors! I was conducted by him a couple of times – the latest was in Leipzig and Dresden in 2001. He was outstanding, friendly and empathetic! We are many that will miss him! ♥️
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Rest in Peace Maestro
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