Conductor Arnold Östman has Died, Aged 83

The Swedish conductor was a period-instrument specialist and was known for his interpretation of Mozart

The Swedish conductor Arnold Östman has passed away in Stockholm at the age of 83. A champion of historically informed performance, Östman spent most of his career based in Sweden, though traveled extensively to appear in prestigious venues around the world.

Born in Malmö on Christmas Eve 1939, Östman chose to study art history and musicology at universities in Lund, Paris, and Stockholm — though he continued to work on the piano and the harpsichord, on which he was largely self-taught.

He began his career teaching at the University College of Opera in Stockholm, and soon took up a role as the artistic director of the Drottningholm Court Theater, also in Stockholm. It was here that Östman began to experiment with the sound-world of period instruments, encouraging his players to make the switch and presenting historically informed versions of Mozart operas.

As a symphonic conductor, Östman routinely appeared with orchestras such as the Tonkünstler Orchestra of Vienna, The Academy of Ancient Music, and the Gürzenich Orchestra in Cologne.

"It's so important to use classical instruments," Östman said. "We make mistakes with them, but we keep trying because it is really important complementary information, which has a scientific value. Yet we don't use it as scientists, we use it for artistic freedom. The more information you have, the more freedom you have."

Our condolences to Östman's family, friends, and colleagues.