Johannes Brahms - Haydn Variations; Rehearsal extracts (Herbert Blomstedt)

Information

Composer: Johannes Brahms

• Haydn-Variationen, Op. 56a
• Extracts from the Rehearsals

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Herbert Blomstedt, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: BR Klassik

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Herbert Blomstedt’s 2014 performances of Variations on a Theme by Haydn with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra reveal the conductor’s deep musical insight and enduring artistic vitality. Recorded live in Munich’s Herkulessaal, this BR-KLASSIK release combines concert performances with rehearsal sessions that offer rare access to Blomstedt’s interpretative process and collaboration with the orchestra. Composed by Johannes Brahms in 1873, the celebrated work transforms the “Chorale St. Antoni,” once attributed to Joseph Haydn, into a masterful sequence of variations. The inclusion of rehearsal recordings highlights how Blomstedt shapes phrasing, orchestral color, and musical character with remarkable clarity and energy.

Herbert Blomstedt is an American-born Swedish conductor celebrated for his intellectual clarity, musical integrity, and exceptional longevity. Born in Massachusetts in 1927 and raised in Sweden, he studied across Europe and the United States with leading musical figures including Leonard Bernstein and Igor Markevitch. Blomstedt became especially renowned for his interpretations of Germanic and Nordic repertoire, conducting major orchestras such as the San Francisco Symphony, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and the Staatskapelle Dresden. A devoted Seventh-day Adventist, he is admired for combining spiritual conviction with artistic discipline. Even in his late nineties, Blomstedt continues to conduct internationally, remaining one of classical music’s most respected and inspiring figures.