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Seiji Ozawa (ć°æŸ€ ćŸçŸ Ozawa Seiji, born September 1, 1935) is a Japanese conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of large-scale late Romantic works. He is most known for his work as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna State Opera.
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Japanese conductor, Seiji Ozawa, was born on September 1, 1935 to Japanese parents in the city of Shenyang, China, while it was under Japanese occupation. When his family returned to Japan in 1944, he began studying piano with Noboru Toyomasu, heavily studying the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. After graduating from the Seijo Junior High School in 1950, Ozawa sprained his finger in a rugby game. Unable to continue studying the piano, his teacher at the Toho Gakuen School of Music[1] (Hideo Saito), brought Ozawa to a life-changing performance of Beethovenâs Symphony No. 5, which ultimately shifted his musical focus from piano performance to conducting.[2] Almost a decade after the sports injury, Ozawa won the first prize at the International Competition of Orchestra Conductors in Besancon, France.[3] His success in France 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). In 1960, shortly after his arrival, Ozawa won the Koussevitzky Prize for outstanding student conductor, Tanglewoodâs highest honor. Receiving a scholarship to study conducting with famous Austrian conductor, Herbert von Karajan, Ozawa moved to West Berlin. Under the tutelage of von Karajan, Ozawa caught the attention of prominent conductor, Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein then appointed him as assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic where he remained for the next four years.[3] While with the New York Philharmonic, he made his first professional concert appearance with the San Francisco Symphony in 1962.[4] 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.[5] From 1964 to 1971, Seiji Ozawa served as the first music director of the Ravinia Festival, the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
He was music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra from 1965 to 1970, and of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra from 1969 to 1976.
Between the years of 1964â1973, he directed various orchestras until he became music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1973. His tenure at the BSO was maintained for twenty-nine years, the longest tenure of any music director that surpassed the twenty-five years that held by Koussevistzky.[4] Ozawa won his first Emmy Award in 1976, for the Boston Symphony Orchestraâs PBS television series, âEvening at Symphony.â In 1994, the BSO dedicated its new Tanglewood concert hall "Seiji Ozawa Hall" in honor of his 20th season with the orchestra. In 1994, he was awarded his second Emmy for Individual Achievement in Cultural Programming for âDvorak in Prague: A Celebration.â [4] An effort to merge all-Japanese orchestras and performers with international artists, Ozawa, along with Kazuyoshi Akiyama, founded the Saito Kinen Orchestra in 1992. Since its creation, the orchestra has gained a prominent position in the international music community.[2] In the same year, he also made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He has additionally conducted the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic on a regular basis. Ozawa can also be seen in concert with the New Japan Philharmonic, the London Symphony, the Orchestre National de France, La Scala in Milan and the Vienna Staatsoper. Ozawa caused controversy from 1996â1997 with sudden demands for change at the Tanglewood Music Center, which caused Gilbert Kalish and Leon Fleisher to resign in protest.[6] 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.[7] Other critical commentary on Ozawa's tenure in Boston has been aired.[8]
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.
In 2001, Ozawa was recognized by the Japanese government as a Person of Cultural Merit.[9]
Since 2002, he has been music director of the Vienna State Opera. Ozawa continues to play a key role as a teacher and administrator at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Boston Symphony Orchestraâs summer music home that has programs for young professionals and high school students. In 2002, he continued to follow in Herbert von Karajanâs footsteps, as he became music director of the Vienna State Opera. On New Years Day 2002, Ozawa conducted an all-Strauss concert with the Vienna Philharmonic, programming the concert so it would have a nice flow and keep everyoneâs interest as they ushered in the New Year.[10] In 2005, he conducted the Tokyo Opera Nomoriâs debut of Richard Straussâ Elektra. Ozawa has received a significant amount of criticism, especially from Boston music critic Greg Sandow, as he reports that some BSO members claim that Ozawa gives âno specific leadership in matters of tempo and rhythmâ, providing no âexpression of care about sound quality.â [7] Despite the criticism, Ozawa serves a musical role model: an Asian performer who has not only attained fame in the West, but has also devoted his life to fostering a global community within classical music.[2]
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.[11] On January 7, 2010, Ozawa announced that he had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer, and would therefore take a 6-month leave from his musical activities to concentrate on the treatment.[12]
Ozawa is scheduled to step down from his post at the Vienna State Opera in 2010, to be succeeded by Franz Welser-Möst.[13]
Ozawa became famous not only for his conducting mannerisms, but also his sartorial style: he wore the traditional formal dress with a white turtleneck rather than the usual starched shirt, waistcoat, and white tie.
In October 2008, Ozawa was honored with Japan's Order of Culture; and an awards ceremony for the Order of Culture will be held at the Imperial Palace.[14] He is a recipient of the 34th Suntory Music Award (2002) and the International Center in New York's Award of Excellence.
Seiji Ozawa holds honorary doctorate degrees from Harvard University, the New England Conservatory, the University of Massachusetts, and Wheaton College.
| Preceded by Claudio Abbado |
Music
Director, Vienna State Opera 2002âpresent |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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Seiji Ozawa (born 1 September 1935) is a Japanese conductor. He has conducted many of the worldâs greatest orchestras and is especially known for his work with the Boston Symphony Orchestra which he conducted for 29 years.
Seiji Ozawa was born in 1935 in Fenytien (now Shenyang, Liaoning, China). His parents were Japanese. Shenyang was under Japanese occupation at the time. When his family returned to Japan in 1944 he started learning the piano. After hurting his finger in a game of rugby in 1950 he became interested in conducting. He studied at the Toho School of Music, Tokyo and graduated with first prizes in composition and conducting. In 1959 he won first prize at the International Competition of Orchestra Conductors in Besançon, France. He was invited to the Tanglewood Music Center where he won a prize for conducting.
Ozawa worked with Herbert von Karajan in Berlin. In 1961] he was appointed as Leonard Bernsteinâs assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic for one year. He conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at their summer residence, the Ravinia Festival, for five summers, then became director of the Toronto Symphony from 1965 to 1969 and music director of the San Francisco Symphony from 1970 to 1976. He often conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra and became its music director in 1973, a post which he held for 29 years. He became artistic director of Tanglewood in 1970. In 2002 he became music director of the Vienna State Opera, also conducting concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic.
Ozawa has made many recordings which have been highly praised. He has received many honours, including the Chevalier de la LĂ©gion dâHonneur for his support for French composers. When a new hall was built in Tanglewood it was named Seiji Ozawa Hall.
In 1992 Ozawa started the Saito Kinen Festival in memory of his teacher.
He was music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra longer than any other conductor. Under Ozawa the orchestra remained one of the best in the world and often performed new musical compositions by living composers. They recorded more than 140 works together.
When Ozawa conducts he wears a poloneck shirt instead of the traditional black tie and suit.
   | Sony Classical: Seiji Ozawa - SONY MASTERWORKS - Home |
| | The Jack Robinson Archives - Seiji Ozawa Photograph | Seiji Ozawa Picture | The Jack Robinson Archive |
| | Seiji Ozawa Says Farewell - NPR : Seiji Ozawa Says Farewell |
| | Decca Classics - Decca Music Group - Seiji Ozawa |
| | Conduct(or) Unbecoming the Boston Symphony - Greg Sandow -- Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony |
| | Vienna State Opera Appoints Dominique Meyer Its Next Director, with Franz Welser-Möst as Music Director - PlaybillArts: News: Vienna State Opera Appoints Dominique Meyer Its Next Director, with Franz Welser-Möst as Music Director |
| | Seiji Ozawa Returns to Podium After More Than a Year - PlaybillArts: News: Seiji Ozawa Returns to Podium After More Than a Year |
| | A Last Bow, To Polite Applause - MUSIC; A Last Bow, To Polite Applause - The New York Times |
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