Blomstedt Bridges Nineteenth Century at Davies

This afternoon in Davies Symphony Hall, Herbert Blomstedt conducted the San Francisco Symphony in the first of three performances of this week’s program. Blomstedt was Michael Tilson Thomas’ predecessor as Music Director, and his appearance was supported by the Louise M. Davies Guest Concert Fund. In addition, the Thursday matinee concerts are endowed by a gift in memory of Rhoda Goldman.

The program itself was the first of four in a special subscription series entitled Favorites in Focus. As I previously observed, the selections for all four programs are “firmly grounded in the nineteenth century;” so what made this program particularly interesting was that it consisted of only two compositions, each close to one of the ends of the century. The first of these was Franz Schubert’s D. 485 (fifth) symphony in B-flat major, which he completed on October 3, 1816. The intermission was then followed by Johannes Brahms’ Opus 68, his first symphony, composed over the course of 21 years and first performed on November 4, 1876.

Herbert Blomstedt, shortly after his 97th birthday, leading the Vienna Philharmonic at the annual Salzburg Festival (photograph by Marco Borrelli from a 2024 New York Times article by Joshua Barone reporting from Salzburg)

Readers that have followed this site for some time probably know by now that I try never to miss an opportunity to observe Blomstedt in action as a conductor. If that seems more than a little urgent, it is because he is now 97 years old; and the fact that he continues to lead international orchestras impels me to keep track of every visit he makes to Davies. Furthermore, there is a rhetoric of similar urgency in Brahms’ symphony, particularly in the two outer movements, while each of all four of the movements presents the attentive listener with a rich palette of instrumental sonorities. Thus, between all of my past encounters with this symphony, both in the concert hall and in my collection of recordings, this afternoon kept me on the edge of my seat with eyes consistently darting from one section in the ensemble to another.

Where Schubert is concerned, D. 485 is the earliest of his nine symphonies to receive consistently regular attention in concert programming. In the absence of brass and percussion, the music is not as stirring as many familiar works that would be composed later in the century. Furthermore, while Blomstedt (as always) made it a point to honor every repeat sign, one could come away with a sense that Schubert was only deploying repetition because he assumed that he was supposed to do so. Nevertheless, even with his body language limited by his age, Blomstedt knew how to maintain the attention of the serious listener.

As a result, I left Davies this afternoon with the feeling of an afternoon well spent and a strong desire to capture my impressions in writing while they were still fresh in my mind!