Herbert Blomstedt: ‘I never conquered an orchestra’
OrchestrasThe conductor, 97, gives a reflective interview to Markus Thiel.
Sample quotes:
- There is so much wonderful music that I would like to perform and that could change me. But you just don’t have that much time. A conductor’s life is too short – especially if you want to work everything out as precisely as it suits my nature. I have to absorb everything first before I even dare to interpret it.
- I am usually very dissatisfied. I am happy that my audience and the orchestra are satisfied after an evening. My expectations are simply even higher. You have to start again every time. Maybe it only works when you have conducted the piece ten, sometimes even a hundred times.
- I was also never a careerist. I never conquered an orchestra. Over the years, it was always given to me. I experienced this at every stage of my life: when I was ready, the new orchestra was there. That gives me more peace of mind and you can continue to develop even in old age. They always say that personal development is complete at the age of 30. That is only the beginning! You have to continue to develop even at 70, 80, 90.
I recall several years ago going to Tanglewood to hear Herbert Blomstedt conduct Brahms, #1 which was, I believe, a dramatic, moving experience. It was not possible from that performance to assign an age to the conductor. It combined the wisdom of age with the enthusiasm of youth, How lucky is he and those who hear him – especially live.
These qualities in the listener contribute, also, to the total impact of the performance.
I would imagine you are aware that Maestro Blomstedt is scheduled to perform Brahms’s 1st symphony in Boston in roughly a month from now, February 13-15, 2025, coupled with Schubert’s Symphony #6.
Blomstedt is a living definition of the word “exemplary,” whether as a conductor or as a human being.
Well, if a symphony conductor thinks his job is so hard, he hasn’t done much opera. It’s an art form, gesumtkunstwerk, 100 times harder.