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Conductor Herbert Blomstedt dies aged 99 after seven decades on the podium
Herbert Blomstedt, the Swedish-American conductor whose career spanned seven decades, has died aged 99 at his home in Gothenburg. A leading interpreter of Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn and Bruckner, he was admired for his musical insight and modest manner, and continued performing into his late 90s.
Born in Massachusetts in 1927 to Swedish parents, Blomstedt made his conducting debut in 1954 and held leading posts with orchestras in Oslo, Copenhagen, Dresden, San Francisco and Leipzig. His final concert was in San Francisco in May, aged 98, and was briefly halted after he collapsed during Mahler’s Ninth Symphony. He received two Grammy awards and a Gramophone award, and was named a laureate of the Praemium Imperiale earlier this autumn.
In short
- Conductor Herbert Blomstedt has died aged 99.
- His career lasted seven decades and spanned major orchestras.
- He continued conducting until a final concert in May.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Herbert Blomstedt, renowned conductor with a seven-decade career, dies aged 99”.