Herbert Blomstedt - The San Francisco Years

Good except for the choral symphonies...wish they would have excluded from this. I really dislike singing in Symphonies...it ruins them. I wish Beethoven had never composed his 9th that way. I realize its a personal opinion but that is my opinion. If it had been a strictly musical box set, it would have gotten 5 stars. Also why Bruckner is more enjoyable than Mahler

Having lived in San Francisco during the later Blomstedt, a pleasure to hear what I had missed before moving here. Nice cross section but they could have included all the Sibelius symphonies as all are incredibly well done.

Herbert Blomstedt: The San Francisco Years ...it's owesome..I like it, and i want recomand you. thank you so much

amazing

He may not have the "name" recognition of such conducting heavyweights as Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, or Sir Colin Davis, but the American/Swedish conductor Herbert Blomstedt is still regarded as one of the greatest of what we would normally call the "old school" kapellmesiters. In his time, he has led the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, among other European orchestra giants; and during the late 1970s and into the 1980s, he was the chief conductor of the all-imposing Dresden State Orchestra (Staatskapelle Dresden). But that isn't all.From 1985 to 1995, he also served as the music director of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra; and during that ten-year span, he helped elevate the orchestra and the city it represents to world-class status in the classical music world with a series of great recordings for London/Decca. Those recordings have been preserved on this massive box set, released by London/Decca to coincide with Blomstedt's return to the Bay Area in April 2014 for a series of concerts as Conductor Laureate.Most notable about this impressive collection is the fact that the orchestra was able to handle the Scandinavian material of composers like Grieg (the complete "Peer Gynt" incidental music); Sibelius (the First and Seventh symphonies); Nielsen; and Franz Berwald. Blomstedt is a natural at this, having done earlier recordings in his native Scandinavia, but the San Francisco Symphony handles them extremely well. The set also includes the orchestra's late 80s recording of a pair of tone poems by Richard Strauss, "Don Juan" and "An Alpine Symphony", that rank among the best Strauss recordings, matching (if indeed not exceeding) ones made by Karajan, Rudolf Kempe, and Fritz Reiner. Blomstedt also takes on two very large Austro-German Romantic symphonies with a great deal of panache, namely Bruckner's immortal Symphony No. 4 (Romantic), and the Mahler Resurrection Symphony.But perhaps the most impressive part of this collection is a pair of recordings that had not been in record stores for at least ten years. One is the orchestra's 1990 takes on Beethoven's 1st and 3rd symphonies (making one wish that they and Blomstedt had done the complete cycle of symphonies), and the other is of Schubert's Ninth, combined with the C Major Overture In The Italian Style. Considering how many times those works have been recorded (literally hundreds), both Blomstedt and the S.F.S.O. put their own stamp on them, and, in terms of performance, match any and all comers, past and present. The only recording that I think they could have included as well is their 1990 recording of Schubert's 5th and 8th symphonies, plus the Magic Harp/Rosamunde Overture. Otherwise, this huge set, expensive as it might be, is worth every penny.The combination of Blomstedt and the San Francisco Symphony was definitely one of the best conductor/orchestra combines not only in America but the entire classical music world at large, much like Bernstein/N.Y.P.O. and Zubin Mehta with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. And this box set makes that eminently clear.

Why on earth did Decca not include ALL of Blomstedt's San Francisco SO legacy in this box? He recorded the complete Sibelius & Nielsen Symphonies with the SFSO, and both are highly recommended and highly sought out sets. Yet, here we get only one-CD worth of each composer. It would have taken all of 5 more CDs to include the complete symphony cycles of both composers.And where's the Schubert 5 & 8 and Rosamunde? Where's Ein Heldenleben & Metamorphosen? Bruckner 6? Where's Also sprach, Till and T & V? The Sessions/Harbison CD? What about the other Hindemith disc (Noblissima Visione, Der Schwanendreher & Concert Music)? Am I missing anything? Hello, Decca. Anyone home? That's at least 6 more discs worth of Blomstedt/SFSO recordings that are missing from this box.Honestly, you wonder what people at the record labels are thinking these days. This set looks to be aimed at least in part at completists, yet it isn't complete. In fact, it contains about half of what was recorded by Decca in SF during Blomstedt's "San Francisco Years."Universal has no problem issuing complete sets of recordings by artists who recorded far more for them than did Blomstedt (Karajan & Bernstein, for example). Sure, they're more popular than Blomstedt, but isn't that the point? Why not make it a complete Blomstedt and have done with it?Lame. Another missed opportunity.

Herbert Blomstedt, happily still with us at the time of writing, is considered the world's oldest active conductor (he was born in July 1927). These 15 CDs are a selection of the recordings he made in the period 1987-1994 when he was music director of the San Francisco Symphony. They are a worthy summary of his art.Quite simply, there is not a single disappointing CD here. Perhaps his Mahler 2 does not quite scale the heights that others do, and I continue to find little of interest in Berwald's symphonies, but the quality of the playing and the musicality of the conducting shine through everything. The CD box refers to honesty and clarity being Blomstedt's watchwords, and how true that is - no exaggerations or eccentricities here. The Nielsen symphonies have not been done better, and the Strauss Alpensinfonie is quite marvellous; I could go on. And it is all beautifully recorded.Even if you already have recordings of all of the works in this box, you won't regret acquiring it.

まずは収録曲目と演奏者のリストを記す。CD１．バルトーク：交響詩『コシュート』、管弦楽のための協奏曲CD２．ベートーヴェン：交響曲第1番ハ長調 op.21、交響曲第3番変ホ長調 op.55『英雄』CD３．ベルワルド：交響曲第1番ト短調『まじめな交響曲』、交響曲第4番変ホ長調『素朴な交響曲』CD４．ブラームス：ドイツ・レクィエム　エリザベス・ノルベルイ＝シュルツ（ソプラノ）　ヴォルフガング・ホルツマイアー（バリトン）　サンフランシスコ・シンフォニー・コーラスCD５．ブラームス：運命の歌 Op.54、アルト・ラプソディ Op.53、 埋葬の歌 Op.13 、悲歌 Op.82 、運命の女神たち Op.89　ヤルド・ファン・ネス（メゾ・ソプラノ）　サンフランシスコ・シンフォニー・コーラスCD６．ブルックナー：交響曲第4番変ホ長調『ロマンティック』（ハース版／1886年ニューヨーク版との融合による）CD７．グリーグ：劇音楽『ペール・ギュント』 op.23（抜粋）　ペール・ギュント、泥棒：ウルバン・マルムベルイ（バリトン）　ソルヴェイグ：マリ・アンネ・ヘガンデル（ソプラノ）　第1の山羊追いの女：ウェンディ・ホフマン（ソプラノ）　第2の山羊追いの女：メリリン・ヴォーン（メゾ・ソプラノ）　アニトラ、第3の山羊追いの女：ウェンディ・ホワイト（メゾ・ソプラノ）　盗品買い：リチャード・ヘイル（バス・バリトン）　山の魔王：デイヴィッド・ヘス（語り）　第1の子供のトロル：マーガレット・リジ（語り）　宮仕えのトロル、第2の子供のトロル：カーレ・ミクスヴォル（語り）　若い娘：マリア・メイヤー（語り）　第1の魔女：クリスティーナ・ラップ（語り）　第2の魔女：ベイグ：グレゴリー・ニューボ（語り）　オーゼ：マリ・アンネ・ヘガンデル（語り）　サンフランシスコ・シンフォニー・コーラスCD８．ヒンデミット：ウェーバーの主題による交響的変容、ヴィオラと弦楽のための葬送音楽、交響曲『画家マチス』、弦楽と金管のための協奏音楽CD９．マーラー：交響曲第2番ハ短調『復活』　ルート・ツィーザク（ソプラノ）　シャルロット・ヘレカント（アルト）　サンフランシスコ・シンフォニー・コーラスCD１０．メンデルスゾーン：交響曲第3番イ短調 op.56『スコットランド』、交響曲第4番イ長調 op.90『イタリア』CD１１．ニールセン：交響曲第2番ロ短調 op.16『4つの気質』、交響曲第3番ニ短調 op.27『ひろがりの交響曲』CD１２．オルフ：カルミナ・ブラーナ　リン・ドーソン（ソプラノ）　ジョン・ダニエッキ（テノール）　ケヴィン・マクミラン（バリトン）　サンフランシスコ少年合唱団＆少女合唱団　サンフランシスコ・シンフォニー・コーラスCD１３．シューベルト：イタリア風序曲第2番ハ長調 D.591、交響曲第9番ハ長調 D.944『グレート』CD１４．シベリウス：交響曲1番ホ短調 op.39、交響曲第7番ハ長調 op.105、交響詩『タピオラ』 op.112CD１５．R.シュトラウス：交響詩『ドン・ファン』 op.64、アルプス交響曲 op.64（以上全て）サンフランシスコ交響楽団ヘルベルト・ブロムシュテット（指揮）（1987年〜1993年　ステレオ/デジタル/セッション録音）私にとってブロムシュテットはごく最近まであまり興味をそそられることのない指揮者だった。苦手だったブルックナーの魅力に開眼させてくれたのが、30年近く前に発売されたシュターツカペレ・ドレスデン（SKD）との第7交響曲のレコードだったことを思えば不思議だが、N響に客演するために割と頻繁に来日していたので却って有難味が少なかったのかもしれない。それが先日Eテレで放送されたN響とのブラームスの第三交響曲の演奏を聞いて驚嘆し、遅ればせながらSKDとのベートーヴェン交響曲全集のBOXを購入して聞いてみて益々感心し、このたびサンフランシスコ交響楽団（SFS）との一連の録音を集めたこのBOXを購入した。その素直な感想を一言でいえば、「私が間違っておりました。許して下さい」という感じだ。まだ全部を聞きとおしたわけではないが、ここに集められたCDはいずれも名指揮者、名演奏、名録音の三拍子揃った素晴らしいものばかりである。特にSFSの演奏と音が素晴らしい。アメリカのオーケストラにありがちなメカニックでケバケバしたところ、あるいはパワーで押し切るところは一切なく、ドイツの名門オーケストラにもひけを取らない豊かなハーモニーを聞かせてくれる。それを可能にしたのはやはりブロムシュテットの指揮の力であり、それを余すところなく捉えた英デッカの超優秀録音であろう。ブロムシュテットのファンはもちろん、私のようにこれまでこの指揮者に注目して来なかった人にこそ強くお勧めしたい。

Nice collection of very fine and smart performances by a magistral Blomsted conducting a superlative San Francisco Orchester. Surprisingly, the only light relative deception comes from the "Decca sound" sometimes a little flat and massive on these CD (DDD?) of 88-95 period (could it be be better on a top level hifi system?). Anyway, good value.

I agree that this set does not include all the recordings by Blomstedt and the SFSO. It is not complete and therefore it could be argued that the title is a tad misleading. The point however that I would like to make is that I have just paid £20 for fifteen outstanding CDs. This makes the set an absolute bargain and a "must buy" recommendation.

Als Schwede bin ich sehr froh, das Decca diese aufnahmen von San Fransisco wieder in dies Superbox zusammengestellt habe. Fast alle Interpretationen sind in Hochwertig, macht mir viel Vergnügen sie zu genießen und hoffe das wir bald auch die Aufnahmen von Herr Blomstedts Jahren in Deutschland bald sehen kann.... Hochwertig musikalisch und super Tontechnik von Decca, wie immer...