Ovations for conductor Herbert Blomstedt in Dresden

Conductor Herbert Blomstedt received an ovation from the audience for his performance with the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. The 98-year-old American with Swedish roots interpreted Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 5 in the Semperoper on Sunday morning and lived up to his reputation as an authority on Bruckner.

Blomstedt inspires with fresh interpretation

With sparing gestures, he was able to elicit the full splendor of sound from the monumental work and drive the musicians of "his" former orchestra to peak performances. At the end, the audience celebrated him profusely and he thanked the orchestra and audience again and again. Two more concerts with him are planned for Monday and Tuesday evening.

Blomstedt left his mark in the USA and Europe

Herbert Blomstedt was principal conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden from 1975 to 1985 and, as the orchestra's honorary conductor, is more popular than almost any other maestro in the city on the Elbe. But he has also left his mark elsewhere in Germany and the USA, for example as head of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the NDR Symphony Orchestra and as director of the San Francisco Symphony.

This grand seigneur continues to impress with his fresh interpretations into old age and is particularly appreciated as an interpreter of Bruckner. In mid-April, he conducted performances of Bruckner's 4th Symphony at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, and a few days later he made a guest appearance with the Berlin Philharmonic with Bruckner's 7th Symphony. On July 11, he turns 99 years old. He is already considered the longest-serving conductor in the world.