Beethoven: Symphony No 7

Herbert Blomstedt is celebrated for his complete recordings of Beethoven’s symphonies. “Precise, powerfully flowing and filled with tension.” The Swedish legend now looks back on a career of over 70 years as conductor of the world’s foremost orchestras. A work that began with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra already in 1953. Hear an entire lifetime of work and passion shaped into music as two stars shine together: Beethoven in the score and Blomstedt on the podium. 

Half Viennese classicist, half romantic, but mostly Beethoven. That’s how we’re used to seeing him, but he had other sides as well. In the 7th symphony, the folklorist Beethoven appears and he delivers a finale built around a folk dance. Of course, in Beethoven’s artful and powerful arrangement – he is incredibly driving, thrusting with weight and force into the chords at an accelerating pace. This restless, rhythmic rondo is one of his most explosive creations.

Recorded for GSOplay in Gothenburg Concert Hall in april 2025.