Blomstedt at 97

Arne treated Bob and me taking us Thursday afternoon to a San Francisco Symphony concert with Herbert Blomstedt conducting.  He got front row seats, so as Bob joked we could catch Blomstedt if he fell.  Arne has been interested in Blomstedt since he became the Conductor of the SFSymphony in 1984.  That year, I took the boys aged 15, 13 and 10 to the Opening Concert of his Inaugural Season.  It was a fancy fancy concert with a champagne reception and the tickets were very expensive but I thought it was important for their cultural education.  As I recall they were more than $100/ticket, quite a lot for the time. Our seats were in the last row of the Second Balcony against the back wall of the hall on the far right.  Blomstedt conducted Beethoven’s 1st and 9th Symphonies.  The sound was fantastic, but the orchestra was very far away and the players looked very small.  As Arne remembered, we liked the 1st Symphony better.  I remember some gay guys teasing Arne, telling him Beethoven was down in the audience in main floor.  Arne, then attending the Crowden School, began telling them what he knew about Beethoven which was quite a lot.  He put those smart aleck guys in their place.

Since then, I’ve seen Blomstedt conduct a number of times as Guest Conductor of the Symphony.  Arne took his family to see him conduct several years ago.  Over the years, the audience and Orchestra have grown to appreciate him more and more.  I’d say he’s a really old “rock star” conductor now.  But what would he be like at 97?  He walked out on the arm of the Concertmaster, walking very slowly and wobbly, looking frail.  He could barely pull himself up onto the podium where a black padded piano bench was in front of the conductor’s music stand.  As the applause grew louder and louder with many people standing up to honor him, he turned and waved and smiled.  Then he raised his hands and the music began.  He didn’t use a baton.  I could only see his right side and sometimes both of his hands.  His arms were strong and he raised them up over his head in the loud passages of the 5th Symphony of Schubert.  It was a 27 minute sunny cheerful piece.  There was great applause after and clearly everyone loved him.  Carefully and painfully he stepped down and hobbled off stage.  Brahms’s 1st Symphony was the piece they played for the second half of the concert.  He was more dynamic conducting this one, but then the piece has such huge dynamic contrasts.  At one point, I saw him put his finger to his mouth, shushing the orchestra or one of the players.  I didn’t hear any response.  He seemed to be conducting both pieces from memory.  I wondered how many times he’s conducted this Brahms piece in his 70 years on the podium?  Afterwards, the cheering went on for a very long time.  For years now, no one knows if they’ll see him conduct again.  But he just goes on and on.  I wonder if he’ll be the first conductor to make it to 100 and still be conducting.  For me, it was such a treat to watch him and marvel at such an amazing man.