The Oslo Philharmonic has appointed Herbert Blomstedt as Honorary Conductor, recognising the legendary Swedish maestro’s long and close relationship with the orchestra.
Blomstedt first appeared with the ensemble in March 1960 and became its Kapellmeister two years later, a post he shared with Øivin Fjeldstad until 1968. This week, as he leads his 133rd and 134th concerts with the Oslo musicians, the orchestra announced the honorary title.
“Herbert Blomstedt is an institution in the classical music world, both in Scandinavia and internationally,” said Knut Skansen, Director of the Oslo Philharmonic. “The orchestra is deeply grateful for its relationship with him, stretching from 1960 until today. He brings out something truly special in the orchestra and has helped build it to an international level over the course of a lifetime.”
Born in Massachusetts in 1927 to Swedish parents, Blomstedt grew up in Scandinavia and studied in Stockholm, Uppsala, Darmstadt, Basel, New York and Tanglewood, where he worked with Leonard Bernstein. He won the Koussevitzky Conducting Prize in 1953 and the Salzburg Conducting Competition two years later.
After his tenure in Oslo, he went on to lead the Staatskapelle Dresden, the San Francisco Symphony, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the NDR Sinfonieorchester (today NDR Elbphilharmonie), and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, among others. His discography includes acclaimed cycles of Beethoven and Schubert symphonies with the Dresden orchestra, and Grammy-winning recordings with the San Francisco Symphony.
Now aged 98, Blomstedt continues to conduct leading orchestras worldwide, admired for his clarity, integrity and deep identification with both the German–Austrian repertoire and Scandinavian composers such as Grieg, Sibelius and Nielsen.
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