Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, “Scottish”, Op. 56
Wilhelm Stenhammar: Sången (cantata), Op. 44 (Intermezzo)
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Herbert Blomstedt
Brussels, Centre for Fine Arts, 11 January 2019
Herbert Blomstedt (© Martin U.K. Lengemann)
Orchestras stay, while conductors come and go – so it normally goes. However, in the case of maestro Herbert Blomstedt you might think differently. He is 91, very active, and carries some 65 years of conducting experience with him. That’s more candles than many orchestras have to blow, including most of the period-instrument ensembles. Blomstedt brings a communicative sense of joy to music-making and his conducting seems alien to any sign of routine or tiredness. Returning to Brussels with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO), Blomstedt treated us to a magnificent concert with utterly compelling readings of symphonies from Mendelssohn and Brahms.
I used mostly my ears 