Obit: Conductor Seiji Ozawa (1935-2024)

Subject: Obit: Seiji Ozawa (1935-2024)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 11 Feb 24 - 12:35 AM

Wikipedia says:
Seiji Ozawa (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.

Here's his Sesame Street performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHLQjrNPPME

Ozawa was known for directing without a baton, but I see he had a baton in this performance. Interesting man.

I enjoyed the obituary on National Public Radio: https://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2024/02/09/329884586/seiji-ozawa-conductor-boston-symphony-orchestra-dies-age-88

Subject: RE: Obit: Conductor Seiji Ozawa (1935-2024)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Feb 24 - 10:19 AM

Artists who know better than to take themselves too seriously were the ones who made it to Sesame Street. I pulled up a couple of sites to do the math - it looks like Ozawa has two children. Sesame Street went on the air in 1969, his daughter was born in 1971 and son in 1975. Though one site says he settled his family in Japan so they would know their Japanese heritage, both children were born in San Francisco. This all to say that as they were growing up it seems the family would be familiar with Sesame Street and it's easy to imagine his being persuaded to participate.

He also didn't dress for the conductor part in a tuxedo as most (male) conductors did (except, ironically, for the Sesame Street bit.)

Subject: RE: Obit: Conductor Seiji Ozawa (1935-2024)
From: gillymor
Date: 11 Feb 24 - 10:52 AM

I remember what a big deal it was when he took over the SF Symphony, perhaps because we were not far removed from our war with Japan at that point. His recording of Dutilleux's Shadows of Time is one of my favorite pieces of 20th century music and that Sesame Street clip is priceless. How did he do it with a straight face.

Subject: RE: Obit: Conductor Seiji Ozawa (1935-2024)
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 11 Feb 24 - 01:51 PM

Much has been made of Ozawa's passing in Massachusetts,
not only in Boston but also near Tanglewood, in the western part of the state.
Commemorative articles in the local press reveal that
Ozawa had a home in West Stockbridge, Mass.,
and his children were often there for the summer.
This as opposed to the school year,
when they were schooled in Japan.

Tanglewood has a large new concert auditorium called Ozawa Hall.
It was built during Ozawa's lifetime, thanks to
a corporate Japanese sponsor (no, I don't know who).

Subject: RE: Obit: Conductor Seiji Ozawa (1935-2024)
From: DaveRo
Date: 11 Feb 24 - 03:50 PM

"To pay tribute to Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa, who passed away on 6 February 2024, ARTE invites you to rediscover his concert with the Saito Kinen Orchestra. The maestro was conducting Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A major..."

This was in Germany in 2016, when he was 81. It's probably not viewable outside Europe.

https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/079456-000-A/seiji-ozawa-conducts-beethoven-s-7th/

Subject: RE: Obit: Conductor Seiji Ozawa (1935-2024)
From: GUEST,Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Feb 24 - 07:02 PM

He was fine man. In the seventies we were lucky enough to live close enough to the Royal Festival Hall, the Albert Hall and the Barbican, and we saw many of the great conductors and soloists (I could name-drop but I won't!). Sadly Ozawa was not one of them, which I regret.