Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony: Herbert Blomstedt and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra

Last Thursday, July 11, renowned Swedish conductor Herbert Blomstedt celebrated his 97th birthday. Sidelined by a serious fall in December of 2023, Blomstedt resumed his conducting schedule last April; and with numerous upcoming engagements, centered in Leipzig, Dresden, and Paris, he shows no signs of slowing down. This year, in celebration of Blomstedt’s birthday, the Bamberg Symphony played I denna ljuva sommartid, a Swedish summer psalm which holds significance for the conductor.

Beethoven’s monumental Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 begins on the edge of silence, with mysterious, primal open fifths, and concludes with Friedrich Schiller’s stirring declaration of universal brotherhood, the “Ode to Joy.” We will return to this epic work in future posts. For now, let’s listen without further commentary.

This performance, recorded at New Year’s in 2016, features Blomstedt and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, with soloists Simona Saturova (soprano), Mihoko Fujimura (alto), Christian Elsner (tenor), Christian Gerhaher (baritone), and the Leipzig Radio Choir.

Recordings

  • Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, Herbert Blomstedt, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Simona Saturova, Mihoko Fujimura, Christian Elsner, Christian Gerhaher, MDR Rundfunkchor Accentus.com

Featured Image: photograph by Gert Mothes 

About Timothy Judd

A native of Upstate New York, Timothy Judd has been a member of the Richmond Symphony violin section since 2001. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where he earned the degrees Bachelor of Music and Master of Music, studying with world renowned Ukrainian-American violinist Oleh Krysa.

The son of public school music educators, Timothy Judd began violin lessons at the age of four through Eastman’s Community Education Division. He was a student of Anastasia Jempelis, one of the earliest champions of the Suzuki method in the United States.

A passionate teacher, Mr. Judd has maintained a private violin studio in the Richmond area since 2002 and has been active coaching chamber music and numerous youth orchestra sectionals.

In his free time, Timothy Judd enjoys working out with Richmond’s popular SEAL Team Physical Training program.

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