"The conductors were good musicians, but not great artists" - Herbert Blomstedt in conversation

LEGENDARY CONDUCTOR RECEIVES OPUS CLASSIC

Successful conductor at over 90: Herbert Blomstedt is one of the most important conductors of our time. Now he receives the OPUS Klassik for his life's work.

At the age of 96, Herbert Blomstedt is still active on the stages of the world. Now the conductor receives the Opus Klassik for his life's work. In an interview, the conductor explains why he will quickly forget this award and how his interpretations are given their details.

Please, no “blah blah experiences”

Are there actually scores that you no longer open and study because you already know them by heart?

Herbert Blomstedt: You basically have to say that once you have painstakingly memorised something, it is not set in stone for the rest of your life. It disappears very easily and the details become more and more diffuse as time goes by. Then you have to start all over again.

It's about a lot of details that make up the life of the score. If these details are missing, then there is no longer any life inside. Then it's just a "blah blah blah blah blah blah blah" experience. And that's not what we want.

The score, a fantastic object

When you perform works by composers that you often perform - for example Bruckner or Beethoven - then it's about giving the music a soul again and again. How do you do that?

Blomstedt: The first requirement is that you know the score perfectly. That's very demanding. The second requirement is that you can also represent it emotionally and not just look at it. It is a fantastic object that is alive.

Blomstedt conducts Haydn and Bruckner (2019)

Mr. Blomstedt, let's talk about your career as a conductor. Where did this career aspiration come from?

Blomstedt: Of course I had many role models, even as a child. I was lucky enough to live in Gothenburg when I was in high school. It was during the war and Gothenburg had one of the leading orchestras in Northern Europe and a new concert hall that was inaugurated in 1936.

It's one of the best halls in the whole world, the sound is excellent. One of the three concert masters was my violin teacher. I heard two symphony concerts every week. I had bought my own season ticket for this. I remember it was 45 crowns for a whole year.

"I admired my teacher enormously, even when he sat and played in the orchestra."

I was lucky enough to get my violin lessons from the concertmaster of this orchestra. The normal fee was ten crowns an hour, but I couldn't pay that. But he made an exception and I got an hour for three crowns.

"The conductors were good musicians, but not great artists" - Herbert Blomstedt in conversation

After that, of course, very great conductors listen to him from time to time, for example Furtwängler every year in Gothenburg. I asked him for my first autograph there. I'm actually a shy person, but I couldn't help myself. I then got his autograph, it was fantastic!

"I asked him (Wilhelm Furtwängler) for my first autograph. I'm actually a shy person, but I couldn't help myself."

Blomstedt conducts Schubert's Great Symphony in C major

I admired my teaching enormously, even when he sat and played in the orchestra. He was obsessed with music and a natural born teacher. After that I went to the Royal Conservatory in Stockholm. At that time it was the only conservatory in Sweden.

In 2003 Blomstedt received the Great Federal Cross of Merit. Other awards include the Linz Anton Bruckner Prize (2001), the Max Rudolf Prize and the Golden Badge of Honor from the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden (both 2007) and the Bach Medal from the City of Leipzig (2011).

The conductors were not great artists

So you wanted to be a conductor because you saw Mr. Furtwängler?

Blomstedt: Yes and no, I have to put that into perspective a bit. It was the orchestral music that fascinated me and not primarily the legend. The conductors were good musicians but not great artists.

But I still experienced it tremendously. The orchestra was my idol, I knew the name of every musician in the orchestra. I also listened to them twice a week. Those names are still with me today.

"It wasn't the conductors that fascinated me."

It wasn't the conductors that fascinated me. That was the exception, that was luxury. But the music and the orchestra fascinated me.

You can't imitate when you're in charge

Now you, Herr Blomstedt, have had a very long and very successful career as a conductor. At first glance, you think everything went like clockwork for you. Haven't there been moments as a conductor in terms of your career when you really had problems making decisions and where you had doubts?

Blomstedt: That's completely normal. I think if that were missing, it would be nothing. For example: I was very enthusiastic about Mrawinsky's recordings of the Tchaikovsky symphonies on vinyl.

Herbert Blomstedt, here in Dresden in 2007, still works to this day with many important orchestras, including the Saxon Staatskapelle, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

I had already made my debut back then and had also played a few Tchaikovsky symphonies with the Stockholm Symphony Orchestra and more or less copied Mrawinsky, especially his tempi, and was very enthusiastic about it.

That didn't work at all, it sounds totally wrong. You can't imitate someone else when you're in charge. Sooner or later this will go wrong.

Awards are important to the public, not the artist

Mr. Blomstedt, you have already received a number of awards, including the Grand Cross of Merit with a Star. This is a special level of the Federal Order of Merit. And this year you will receive the Opus Klassik for your life's work. How do you feel about getting this award?

Blomstedt: Yes, you have no influence there, thank God. You can only thank everyone and then quickly forget.

So you don't care about prices like that?

Blomstedt: What is important for the public, not for the artist. I had an older colleague in Germany, Eugen Jochum. He had a wonderful sense of humour. When he got such awards, he kept saying: "It's going back into the tin box."

One should of course be happy about it, and at a certain time this can be a great encouragement that one needs. But if that leads you to believe: "Now I'm one of the big ones!", then that's dangerous.

Mr Blomstedt, thank you very much for your time and wish you all the best, above all good health. Stay fit and keep conducting!

Blomstedt: Thank you.

From the broadcast of Tue., 22.8.2023 10:05 a.m., SWR2 meeting point classic, SWR2

Translated from the original German using Google Translate.

First published at SWR KULTUR, August 22, 2023