Herbert Blomstedt Dies at 99
Herbert Blomstedt, the world’s oldest active maestro who led major orchestras across Europe and the United States for over seven decades, died at his home in Gothenburg, Sweden, at the age of 99, The Associated Press reported, citing his management company.
He later studied under Jean Morel and Leonard Bernstein. He made his conducting debut with the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in 1954 and won the Salzburg Conducting Competition a year later. His career included leadership roles as music director of the Oslo Philharmonic, chief conductor of the Dresden Staatskapelle, and music director of the San Francisco Symphony from 1985 to 1998.
Conductor Herbert Blomstedt has passed away at the age of 99. In an interview with Brian McCreath from March of this year, he reflected on 70+ years of studying music and cultivating positive relationships with orchestras. pic.twitter.com/GBlOMt4M56
Grammy Awards and Orchestral Legacy
During his tenure in San Francisco, Blomstedt earned Grammy Awards for recordings of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana in 1993 and Johannes Brahms’s German Requiem in 1996. He later served as music director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra until 2005, maintaining an active international conducting schedule well into his nineties.
His final stage appearance took place on May 15 with the San Francisco Symphony. Conducting Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 from a wheelchair, Blomstedt experienced health difficulties during the third movement that caused a temporary halt to the performance. Following the incident, his scheduled concert appearances for the year were canceled. Organizers had previously planned a concert with the Vienna Philharmonic for next June to mark his 100th birthday.
We are deeply saddened by the death of Herbert Blomstedt, one of the most admired and beloved conductors of his generation, who has died aged 99. Blomstedt first conducted the Orchestra in 2006, and became a regular guest from 2016 onwards. His concerts with the Orchestra… pic.twitter.com/OTAWiZjHTb
Tributes from the Classical Music World
Manfred Honeck, music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, paid tribute to the late conductor. “It was a truly special role model. One of the greatest conductors and a beacon of humanity,” Honeck said, according to The Associated Press.
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