Herbert Blomstedt, who headed San Francisco Symphony from 1985-95, dies at age 99

Herbert Blomstedt, who headed the San Francisco Symphony from 1985-95 and led orchestras in Scandinavia and Germany during a career over seven decades, died Wednesday. He was 99.Blomstedt died at his home in Gothenburg, Sweden, according to his management agency, KünstlerSekretariat am Gasteig.His final performance was on May 15 with the San Francisco Symphony at Davies Hall, when he entered the stage in a wheelchair and struggled to get through Gustav Mahler's Ninth Symphony, which halted for several minutes during the third movement. He was replaced for concerts the following two days and canceled future scheduled appearances this year.Blomstedt had performances scheduled into 2027, including with the Vienna Philharmonic next June, just shy of what would have been his 100th birthday.“Every bar, every note is shared by us, and it's a very intense communication,” he said of his conducting during an interview with "CBS Sunday Morning" broadcast last year. “It's like intense sex.”Blomste