Peter Lundin writes:

>As for Blomstedt, I musch more in awe of his incredebly deep
>musical knowledge, this said, I have been selective in buying his records,
>I have the exelent Nielsen cycle, his Mahler S2 and some Bruckner, given

It's so nice to see someone appreciate his Mahler S2.  Not only because I
can almost be heard in it ;-) but because it is a different interpretation,
with an emphasis on the sardonic, a breaking anger -- just a darker reading
that is quite cutting.  Also, in doing this 7 times in 10 days we had a lot
of time to listen before singing, but in the many times we'd done this with
other conductors, this was the most interesting to many of us in that this
approach seemed to draw more attention to inner lines, the contrapuntal
elements, things we had missed before.  A leaner, starker, more abrupt
reading.  That was intentional.  Some critics don't like the approach at
all while others consider it a bit of a revelation.

Blomstedt did not dance for the audience and was not a showman but the
economy of movement belied a very communicative baton style shown only to
those in front of him, and it was clear what he wanted, which was was not
the dry sort of thing some assumed merely because they disliked that he
hardly moved...

Andrys in Berkeley
http://www.andrys.com/books.html
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