Herbert Blomstedt

Noble, charming, sober, modest. Such qualities may play a major role in human coexistence and are certainly appreciated. However, they are rather untypical for extraordinary personalities such as conductors. Whatever the general public's notion of a conductor may be, Herbert Blomstedt is an exception, precisely because he possesses those very qualities which seemingly have so little to do with a conductor's claim to power. The fact that he disproves the usual clichés in many respects should certainly not lead to the assumption that this artist does not have the power to assert his clearly defined musical goals. Anyone who has once attended Herbert Blomstedt's rehearsals and experienced the concentration on the essence of the music, the precision in the phrasing of musical facts and circumstances as they appear from the score, the tenacity regarding the implementation of an aesthetic view, will probably have been amazed at how few despotic measures were required to this end. Basically, Herbert Blomstedt has always represented that type of artist whose professional competence and natural authority make all external emphasis superfluous. His work as a conductor is inseparably linked to his religious and human ethos, accordingly, his interpretations combine great faithfulness to the score and analytical precision with a soulfulness that awakens the music to pulsating life. In the more than sixty years of his career, he has acquired the unrestricted respect of the musical world.

Over the years, many outstanding ensembles around the globe have been able to secure the services of this highly respected Swedish conductor, born in the USA and educated in Uppsala, New York, Darmstadt and Basel. At the age of ninety, Herbert Blomstedt continues to be at the helm of all leading international orchestras with enormous mental and physical presence, verve and artistic drive.