Seiji Ozawa


Contributors to Wikimedia projects

Article Images
Line 75: Line 75:

* 1976: [[Emmy Award]] for ''Evening at Symphony''<ref name="CBC 2024 o120">{{cite web | title=Famed former Boston Symphony, TSO conductor Seiji Ozawa dead at 88 | website=CBC | date=9 February 2024 | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/obit-conductor-ozawa-1.7110105 | access-date=11 February 2024}}</ref>

* 1976: [[Emmy Award]] for ''Evening at Symphony''<ref name="CBC 2024 o120">{{cite web | title=Famed former Boston Symphony, TSO conductor Seiji Ozawa dead at 88 | website=CBC | date=9 February 2024 | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/obit-conductor-ozawa-1.7110105 | access-date=11 February 2024}}</ref>

* 1981: [[Grammy Award]] for "Best solo instrument performance with orchestra"<ref name="GRAMMY.com 2023 k179" />

* 1981: [[Grammy Award]] for "Best solo instrument performance with orchestra"<ref name="GRAMMY.com 2023 k179" />

* 1992: [[Hans von Bülow Medal]] (given by the [[Berlin Philharmonic]])

* 1992: [[Hans von Bülow Medal]] (given by the [[Berlin Philharmonic]])<ref name="Nikolaus Harnoncourt a293">{{cite web | title=Hans-von-Bülow-Medaille der Berliner Philharmoniker | website=Nikolaus Harnoncourt | url=https://www.harnoncourt.info/hans-von-buelow-medaille-der-berliner-philharmoniker-1999/ | language=de | access-date=11 February 2024}}</ref>

* 1994: Emmy for ''Dvořák in Prague''<ref name="CBC 2024 o120" />

* 1994: Emmy for ''Dvořák in Prague''<ref name="CBC 2024 o120" />

* 1994: [[Inouye Award]], Japan

* 1994: [[Inouye Award]], Japan

Seiji Ozawa

Ozawa in 1963

BornSeptember 1, 1935
DiedFebruary 6, 2024 (aged 88)

Tokyo, Japan

OccupationConductor
OrganizationsBoston Symphony Orchestra
SpouseVera Ozawa
Children
RelativesKenji Ozawa (nephew)

Seiji Ozawa (小澤 征爾, Ozawa Seiji, September 1, 1935 – February 6, 2024) was a Japanese conductor known for his advocacy of modern composers and for his work with the San Francisco Symphony, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna State Opera, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where he served as music director for 29 years. He was the recipient of numerous international awards and was the first Japanese person to conduct the Vienna New Year's Concert in 2002.

Early years

Ozawa was born on September 1, 1935, to Japanese parents in the Japanese-occupied city of Mukden, now in China.[1][2][3] When his family returned to Japan in 1944, he began studying piano with Noboru Toyomasu, with a focus on the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. After graduating from the Seijo Junior High School in 1950, Ozawa broke two fingers in a rugby game. As he was unable to continue studying the piano, his teacher at the Toho Gakuen School of Music, Hideo Saito, brought Ozawa to a performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, which ultimately shifted his musical focus from piano performance to conducting. He went to the Toho Gakuen School of Music, graduating in 1957.[1][4]

International success

Almost a decade after the sports injury, Ozawa won the first prize at the International Competition of Orchestra Conductors in Besançon, France.[5] His success there led to an invitation by Charles Munch, then the music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, to attend the Berkshire Music Center (now the Tanglewood Music Center), where he studied with Munch and Pierre Monteux. In 1960, shortly after his arrival, Ozawa won the Koussevitzky Prize for outstanding student conductor, Tanglewood's highest honor. Receiving a scholarship to study conducting with Herbert von Karajan, Ozawa moved to West Berlin. Under the tutelage of Karajan, Ozawa caught the attention of Leonard Bernstein who then appointed him as assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic; Ozawa served there during the 1961–1962 and 1964–1965 seasons.[5] He made his first professional concert appearance with the San Francisco Symphony in 1962.[6] Ozawa remained the only conductor to have studied under both Karajan and Bernstein.[1]

In December 1962 Ozawa was involved in a controversy with the prestigious Japanese NHK Symphony Orchestra when certain players, unhappy with his style and personality, refused to play under him. Ozawa went on to conduct the rival Japan Philharmonic Orchestra instead.[1][7] From 1964 until 1968, Ozawa served as the first music director of the Ravinia Festival, the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 1969 he served as the festival's principal conductor.[1]

Ozawa was music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra from 1965 to 1969 and of the San Francisco Symphony from 1970 to 1977. In 1972, he led the San Francisco Symphony in its first commercial recordings in a decade, recording music inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In 1973, he took the San Francisco Symphony on a European tour, which included a Paris concert that was broadcast via satellite in stereo to San Francisco station KKHI. He was involved in a 1974 dispute with the San Francisco Symphony's players' committee that denied tenure to the timpanist Elayne Jones and the bassoonist Ryohei Nakagawa, two young musicians Ozawa had selected.[8] He returned to San Francisco as a guest conductor, conducting a 1978 concert featuring music from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

Boston Symphony Orchestra

External audio
audio icon Ozawa conducting Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades with Vladimir Atlantov, Mirella Freni and the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1992 archive.org

Between 1964 and 1973, Ozawa directed various orchestras; he became music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in 1973. He remained with the BSO for 29 years, the longest tenure of any music director there, surpassing the 25 years held by Serge Koussevitzky.[1][6]

Ozawa won his first Emmy Award in 1976, for the BSO's PBS television series, Evening at Symphony. In 1994, the BSO dedicated its new Tanglewood concert hall "Seiji Ozawa Hall" in honor of his 20th season with the orchestra.[1] In 1994, he was awarded his second Emmy for Individual Achievement in Cultural Programming for Dvořák in Prague: A Celebration.[6]

In December 1979, Ozawa conducted a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra.[9] This was the first time since 1961 that the symphony was performed live in the People's Republic of China due to a ban on Western music.[9]

In an effort to merge all-Japanese orchestras and performers with international artists, Ozawa, along with Kazuyoshi Akiyama, founded the Saito Kinen Orchestra in 1992, named after his teacher.[10] Since its creation, the orchestra has gained a prominent position in the international music community.

In the same year, Ozawa made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He created a controversy in 1996–1997 with sudden demands for change at the Tanglewood Music Center, which made Gilbert Kalish and Leon Fleisher resign in protest.[11] Subsequent criticism by Greg Sandow generated controversy in the press.[12][13][14]

In 1998, Ozawa conducted a simultaneous international performance of Beethoven's Ode to Joy at the opening ceremony of the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Ozawa conducted an orchestra and singers in Nagano, and was joined by choruses singing from Beijing, Berlin, Cape Town, New York City, and Sydney – as well as the crowd in the Nagano Olympic Stadium. This was the first time a simultaneous international audio-visual performance had been achieved.[15][16][17]

Ozawa was an advocate of 20th-century classical music, giving the premieres of a number of works, including György Ligeti's San Francisco Polyphony in 1975 and Olivier Messiaen's opera Saint François d'Assise in 1983. He also became known for his unorthodox conducting wardrobe, where he wore the traditional formal dress with a white turtleneck (not the usual starched shirt), waistcoat, and white tie.[18]

From 2002

Ozawa (center) and his family with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the 2015 Kennedy Centers Honor dinner in Washington, D.C.

On New Year's Day 2002, Ozawa conducted the Vienna New Year's Concert.[1]In 2002, he stepped down from the BSO music directorship to become principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera.[10][19]

In recognition of his impact on the BSO, Ozawa was named music director laureate.[20] He played a key role as a teacher and administrator at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer music home that has programs for young professionals and high school students.

In 2005, he founded Tokyo Opera Nomori [fr] and conducted its production of Richard Strauss's Elektra. On February 1, 2006, the Vienna State Opera announced that he had to cancel all his 2006 conducting engagements because of illness, including pneumonia and shingles. He returned to conducting in March 2007 at the Tokyo Opera Nomori. Ozawa stepped down from his post at the Vienna State Opera in 2010, to be succeeded by Franz Welser-Möst.

Personal life

Ozawa had three brothers, Katsumi, Toshio, and Mikio, the latter becoming a music writer and radio host in Tokyo.[21] Ozawa's first wife was the pianist Kyoko Edo [ja].[22] His second wife was Miki Irie [ja] ("Vera"), a Russian-Japanese former model and actress (born in 1944 in Yokohama). He was married to her from 1968 until his death in 2024.[23] The couple has two children, a daughter named Seira and a son named Yukiyoshi. During his tenure with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Ozawa opted to divide his time between Boston and Tokyo rather than move his family to the United States as he and his wife wanted their children to grow up aware of their Japanese heritage.[21]

Ozawa and the cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich formed a traveling musical group during the later stages of Rostropovich's life, with the goal of giving free concerts and mentoring students across Japan.[22]

Illness and death

On January 7, 2010, Ozawa announced that he was canceling all engagements for six months in order to undergo treatments for esophageal cancer.[10] The doctor with Ozawa at the time of the announcement said it was detected at an early stage.[24][25] Ozawa's other health problems included pneumonia[10] and lower back surgery in 2011.[10][26] Following his cancer diagnosis, Ozawa and the novelist Haruki Murakami embarked on a series of six conversations about classical music that form the basis for the book Absolutely on Music.[27] His last concert took place on November 22, 2022 with the Saito Kinen Orchestra where he conducted Beethoven's 'Egmont' Overture which was broadcast live to Koichi Wakata, an astronaut onboard the International Space Station.[28]

Ozawa died of heart failure at his home in Tokyo, on February 6, 2024, at the age of 88.[29][30]

Honorary degrees

Ozawa held honorary doctorate degrees from Harvard University, the New England Conservatory of Music, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, National University of Music Bucharest, and Wheaton College. He was a Member of Honour of the International Music Council.[31]

Awards and honors

Discography

External audio
audio icon Ozawa conducting Beethoven's Choral Fantasy with Rudolf Serkin and the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) & Tanglewood Festival Chorus in 1982
archive.org
audio icon Ozawa conducting Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 with Rudolf Serkin and the BSO in 1984
archive.org

Source:[47]

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Ozawa Seiji: The Self-Made Maestro". July 10, 2018. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  2. ^ 指揮者の小澤征爾さん死去 「世界のオザワ」と評され活躍 88歳. NHK. February 9, 2024. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  3. ^ Wong, Man-kin (2003). 從多元主義的觀點看應得的意義: 對沃爾澤(Michael Walzer)正義理論的闡釋 [The Meaning of Desert from a Pluralistic Perspective : An Exposition of Michael Walzer's Theory of Justice] (Master thesis) (in Chinese). The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Library. doi:10.14711/thesis-b809169.
  4. ^ Reitman, Valerie (March 9, 2000). "Crash Course in Passion". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Aaron Green. "Seiji Ozawa – A Profile of the Great Conductor". Classicalmusic.about.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c "Seiji Ozawa (Conductor) – Short Biography". Bach-cantatas.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  7. ^ Nakasone, Yasuhiro (1999). The Making of the New Japan: Reclaiming the Political Mainstream. trans. Lesley Connors. Routledge. pp. 170–171. ISBN 978-0-7007-1246-5.
  8. ^ "Two Musicians Reinstated for a Year in Coast Dispute" Archived December 31, 2017, at the Wayback Machine by Lacey Fosburgh, The New York Times, August 2, 1974
  9. ^ a b "Sounds of Joy in China". The Christian Science Monitor. January 2, 1980. ProQuest 1039254269.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Conductor Seiji Ozawa vows to return to work". BBC News. March 13, 2012. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  11. ^ Tommasini, Anthony (March 31, 2002). "MUSIC; A Last Bow, To Polite Applause". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  12. ^ Sandow, Greg (December 15, 1998). "Conduct(or) Unbecoming the Boston Symphony". The Wall Street Journal. gregsandow.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  13. ^ Dezell, Maureen (December 16, 1998). "Ozawa's supporters rebut Journal attack". The Boston Globe. gregsandow.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  14. ^ Dezell, Maureen (December 25, 1998). "Beleaguered BSO Answers Wall Street Journal Attack". The Boston Globe. gregsandow.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  15. ^ Strom, Stephanie (February 7, 1998). "THE XVIII WINTER GAMES: OPENING CEREMONIES; The Latest Sport? After a Worldwide Effort, Synchronized Singing Gets In". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2021. the first time that images and sounds from around the globe were united in a simultaneous live performance.
  16. ^ Frey, Jennifer; Sullivan, Kevin (February 7, 1998). "Washingtonpost.com: A Warm Welcome at the Winter Olympics". Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 18, 2002. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  17. ^ The Opening Ceremony media guide: the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, Nagano 1998 / NAOC, The Organizing Committee for the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, Nagano 1998. Nagano, February 1998, archived from the original on August 19, 2021, retrieved August 19, 2021
  18. ^ "Ozawa: A pioneer who dedicated his life to Western music" Archived December 31, 2017, at the Wayback Machine by Anne Midgette, The Washington Post, December 5, 2015
  19. ^ "Ozawa to Quit Boston Symphony, Adding to a Void on U.S. Podiums" Archived July 8, 2023, at the Wayback Machine by Ralph Blumenthal, The New York Times, June 23, 1999.
  20. ^ Richard Dyer (February 9, 2024). "Seiji Ozawa, trailblazing BSO music director, dies at 88". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on February 10, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Lakshmanan, Indira (September 20, 1998). "Orchestrating Family Life in Japan". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  22. ^ a b Lakshmanan, Indira (September 20, 1998). "His Other Life in Japan". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on December 31, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  23. ^ Miki Irie, biography, IMDb. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  24. ^ "Seiji Ozawa, Diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer, Cancels All Performances For the Next Six Months". www.metoperafamily.org. Archived from the original on February 11, 2010.
  25. ^ "Ozawa Discloses Cancer and Cancels Concerts for 6 Months". The New York Times. April 14, 1994. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  26. ^ "Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa beats cancer, plans opera". South China Morning Post. August 5, 2014. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  27. ^ Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy (November 14, 2016). "Haruki Murakami prods a great conductor for insight in Absolutely On Music". The A.V. Club. Onion Inc. Archived from the original on November 15, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  28. ^ "The outer-space Beethoven concert that left legendary conductor Seiji Ozawa in tears". Classic FM. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  29. ^ "World-renowned conductor Seiji Ozawa dies from heart failure at 88". The Japan Times. February 9, 2024. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  30. ^ "Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa dies at 88". Kyodo News. February 9, 2024. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  31. ^ "Members of Honour". International Music Council. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  32. ^ "Presentation of the Festival". Festival international de musique – Besançon Franche-Comté. February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  33. ^ "Koussevitzky as Subject: The Art of the Koussevitzkys". BSO. October 2, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  34. ^ a b "Famed former Boston Symphony, TSO conductor Seiji Ozawa dead at 88". CBC. February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  35. ^ a b "Seiji Ozawa". GRAMMY.com. July 17, 2023. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  36. ^ "Hans-von-Bülow-Medaille der Berliner Philharmoniker". Nikolaus Harnoncourt (in German). Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  37. ^ "Hall at Tanglewood Named for Ozawa". The New York Times. April 14, 1994. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  38. ^ a b "Learn About Japanese Culture". JapanSocietyOfBoston. June 8, 1972. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  39. ^ "Honorary doctors". National University of Music Bucharest. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  40. ^ "Reply to a parliamentary question" (PDF) (in German). p. 1521. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  41. ^ "Seiji Ozawa, Conductor". Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  42. ^ "Reply to a parliamentary question" (PDF) (in German). p. 1921. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  43. ^ "Seiji Ozawa". Praemium Imperiale. November 17, 2000. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  44. ^ "Tanglewood 75" (PDF). Boston Symphony Orchestra. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 7, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  45. ^ "Seiji Ozawa". The Kennedy Center. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  46. ^ "Seiji Ozawa becomes honorary member of the Berliner Philharmoniker". Digital Concert Hall. April 10, 2016. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  47. ^ "ozawa seiji". Worldcat Search Results. Retrieved February 9, 2024.

Further reading

Cultural offices
Preceded by Music Director, Boston Symphony Orchestra
1973–2002 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Music Director, Vienna State Opera
2002–2010 		Succeeded by