Around the Music Festival

On May 15, 98-year-old Herbert Blomstedt, the oldest conductor in the world, became unable to conduct precisely during a concert with the San Francisco Symphony, causing disruption and interruptions to the performance. Blomstedt was taken to the hospital and is currently receiving treatment.

Blomstedt was conducting Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 that day. He had been unwell since arriving in San Francisco, and had to cancel rehearsals twice before the performance. According to local reports, he appeared on stage in a wheelchair and was only able to move onto the piano stool, which was being used as a conductor’s podium, with assistance.

Even after the performance began, he remained in a slumped posture, looking as if he might fall backward. His right hand kept small and his movements were ambiguous to the audience, while his left hand simply turned the pages of the sheet music.

As the third movement began, his body started to lean to the right, and midway through the movement, he was in a position as if he were lying in bed. At one point, he was even unable to turn the pages of the sheet music.

見かねた副コンサートマスターが演奏を止めて指揮台に駆け寄り、ブロムシュテットの左手をつかんでまっすぐ座らせようとしたという。しかし、それが失敗、数人の男性が舞台に。演奏を中断して肘掛け椅子に座らせようとしたが、それにブロムシュテットが抵抗。それがようやく落ち着くと、ブロムシュテットは「550小節から」と告げて演奏が再開されたという。

Seeing this, the associate concertmaster stopped the performance, rushed to the conductor’s podium, and grabbed Blomstedt’s left hand, trying to make him sit up straight. However, that failed, and several men came onto the stage.

They tried to stop the performance and make him sit in an armchair, but Blomstedt resisted. Once he finally calmed down, Blomstedt announced, “From measure 550,” and the performance resumed.

The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra managed to cope with this sudden situation by having David Robertson fill in for them at their concerts on the 16th and 17th, which featured the same program. The orchestra has announced that Blomstedt will return as a guest conductor in January 2027, after he celebrates his 100th birthday in July.

PHOTO：San Francisco Symphony　/　Stephan Cohen