Seiji Ozawa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Seiji Ozawa (小澤 征爾 Ozawa Seiji?, born September 1, 1935) is a Japanese conductor. He is particularly noted for his interpretations of large-scale late Romantic works.
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[edit] Biography
Born in Shenyang, China (then inside the puppet state Manchukuo, under Japanese occupation)，he studied at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo and graduated in 1959 before travelling to Europe for further study. Charles Munch eventually took Ozawa to the United States of America for lessons at the Berkshire Music Center (now Tanglewood). He won a scholarship to study with Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and in 1961 he was appointed an assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra by Leonard Bernstein. He was music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra from 1965 to 1970, of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra from 1969 to 1976.
In 1973, Ozawa became music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO). He held this position until 2002, the longest-serving music director of the BSO. In 1994, the BSO dedicated its new Tanglewood concert hall "Seiji Ozawa Hall" in honor of his 20th season with the orchestra. Towards the end of Ozawa's tenure, he received strong criticism from the American critic and composer Greg Sandow, which led to controversy in the Boston press.[1] Other critical commentary on Ozawa's tenure in Boston has been aired.[2]
Ozawa has also been 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 is noted to have somewhat of a photographic memory, as he is able to memorize the scores of large works such as the Mahler Symphonies.
Since 2002, he has been music director of the Vienna State Opera. On February 1, 2006, Vienna State Opera announced that he had to cancel all his performance commitment for 2006 due to his illness. Reportedly, he suffered a bronchial infection and shingles. Apparently, his eyesight was affected. He returned to the podium at Tanglewood on August 7, 2006, in variable weather, receiving generally favorable reviews.
Ozawa became famous not only for his conducting style, but his sartorial style: he wore the traditional formal dress with a white turtleneck rather than the usual starched shirt, waistcoat, and white tie.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Sony Classical: Seiji Ozawa
- The Jack Robinson Archives, images of Ozawa
- Decca Classics, biography of Ozawa
- Seiji Ozawa Says Farewell, NPR, July 14, 2002
- Conduct(or) Unbecoming the Boston Symphony, op-ed, Wall Street Journal, December 15, 1998
- International Music Academy – Switzerland
- Seiji Ozawa Hall
[edit] Books
- "Seiji: An Intimate Portrait of Seiji Ozawa" (Hardcover) by Lincoln Russell (Illustrator), Caroline Smedvig (Editor) ISBN 0-395-93943-7
| Preceded by Walter Susskind |
Music Director, Toronto Symphony Orchestra 1965–1969 |
Succeeded by Karel Ančerl |
| Preceded by Josef Krips |
Music Director, San Francisco Symphony 1970–1977 |
Succeeded by Edo de Waart |
| Preceded by William Steinberg |
Music Director, Boston Symphony Orchestra 1973–2002 |
Succeeded by James Levine |
| Preceded by Claudio Abbado |
Music Director, Vienna State Opera 2002– |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
