Playing Beethoven symphonies is what a symphony orchestra really ought to be doing most of the time. The New York Philharmonic performed Beethoven’s Seventh and Eighth Symphonies last week under American-born Swedish conductor Herbert Blomstedt. Blomstedt is an emeritus of the Swedish and Danish National Symphony Orchestras and the Oslo Philharmonic, and was a student of Leonard Bernstein. He is now 90 years old and his tailcoat hangs somewhat loosely on his shoulders, but he looks and strides to the podium as though he were at least twenty years younger. His gestures of arms and torso—he seemed to build up energy and then release it with a sudden swing one way, then the other—gave the impression of a grand old orator spellbinding an audience.
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