by Ben Hogwood Photo Matthias Creutziger

Last week we heard the sad news of the death of much-loved Swedish conductor Herbert Blomstedt, at the ripe old age of 99.

Blomstedt was a fine conductor of symphonic music, and I wanted to choose a playlist with personal resonance which draws on that, as well as some music from the stage. My personal favourites include Nordic composers Berwald, Grieg, Nielsen and Sibelius, along with Hindemith – whose orchestral music he recorded in memorable accounts for Decca – and finally Beethoven’s Symphony no.7, which I was fortunate to watch him conduct with the Philharmonia Orchestra in 2017.

With grateful thanks to him for some wonderful music making!

You can listen to the playlist on Tidal

Published post no.3,073 – Monday 9 November 2026