Seiji Ozawa (was: Takashi Asahina)
Mike Quigley
McAlpine) writes:
>
> I know that some people there stay in a fit of irritation with Seiji
> Ozawa
> because he does not come back to Japan and fix things (though I don't
> know if that ever hits the English-language press), but even if he were
> to abandon his career outside of Japan and devote all his time and energy
> to orchestra-building there, I don't think it would suffice.
I have heard that there was a great deal of resentment and jealousy over
the fact that Ozawa made it big outside of Japan. Perhaps some of this got
back to him, hence his reluctance to return to Japan.
Tomoharu Nishino
>>>>
I have heard that there was a great deal of resentment and jealousy over
the fact that Ozawa made it big outside of Japan. Perhaps some of this got
back to him, hence his reluctance to return to Japan.
>>>>
Ozawa seems to have had a number of early clashes with the Japanese music
establishment. The most publisized of these incidences was when the NHK
Symphony Orchestra, one of Japan's premire orchestras, boycotted a concert
which was to be directed by him back in the early 70s. Apparently, they felt
that he had picked up to many "American" ways. He was just too direct for
their tastes. To this day, Ozawa has not conducted the NHK SO. Whether
these incidences were based on jealousy is open to debate. It seems,
however, that Ozawa has actively sought to create performance venues outside
of the existing Japanese music estabishment (e.g. Saito Kinen Orchestra, New
Japan Philharmonic, etc.) But with Ozawa's name leading the list of
potential directors for the new national opera, any differences that may have
persisted are gradually fading.=================================================================
Symmetrix, Lexington, MA
=================================================================
HenryFogel
let me point out that he does regularly conduct the New Japan
Philharmonic, of which he is a kind of principal guest conductor, and
which is now one of the mainstream Tokyo orchestras. He appears with them
almost every year in Japan, and his concerts are regularly well sold. In
addition, in this era of changing economics when American orchestras are
finding less than sold out houses in Japan because of the very high ticket
prices, the Boston Symphony and Ozawa still sell out regularly. To the
public in Japan he is still a hero.
Obviously having made it when others of his country did not, and having
basically made his relationship with only one of Tokyo's orchestras
instead of all of them (and there are ten), it is not surprising that he
has alienated some.
Henry Fogel
Ken Iisaka
|> Ozawa seems to have had a number of early clashes with the Japanese music
|> establishment. The most publisized of these incidences was when the NHK
|> Symphony Orchestra, one of Japan's premire orchestras, boycotted a concert
|> which was to be directed by him back in the early 70s. Apparently, they felt
|> that he had picked up to many "American" ways. He was just too direct for
|> their tastes. To this day, Ozawa has not conducted the NHK SO.
Another anecdote about Ozawa/NHK conflict, as told by a violinist who was in
NHKSO then...
Ozawa apparently did not have perfect pitch. So, at one rehearsal, all members
of the orchestra detuned their instrument to be exactly a semitone flat, except
for, of course, oboist. When the oboist started playing his solo, in correct
pitch, but a semitone higher than everyone else, Ozawa got made at the oboist
for playing off-key. A violist (I don't know about this part, but...) stood up
and told Ozawa that the oboist was in key and everyone else wasn't.
Very nasty.
--
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| Ken Iisaka | (kii...@morgan.com) | Morgan Stanley & Co. Inc | |
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fai...@cs.uiuc.edu
Not all Japanese, apparently, are unhappy with Ozawa. Sony Corporation
recently contributed a considerable sum to building a concert hall in his
name at Tanglewood. Very fine-sounding one, too, in my opinion.
-- Mike (just back from a T'wood weekend) Faiman
HenryFogel
Iisaka) writes:
>Another anecdote about Ozawa/NHK conflict, as told by a violinist who was
in
>NHKSO then...
>Ozawa apparently did not have perfect pitch. So, at one rehearsal, all
>members
>of the orchestra detuned their instrument to be exactly a semitone flat,
except
>for, of course, oboist. When the oboist started playing his solo, in
correct
>pitch, but a semitone higher than everyone else, Ozawa got made at the
>oboist
>for playing off-key. A violist (I don't know about this part, but...)
stood up
>and told Ozawa that the oboist was in key and everyone else wasn't.
>Very nasty.
Very nasty indeed. Proving that a conductor doesn't have perfect pitch is
no great accomplishment -- and perfect pitch never has been an important
criterion for conducting.
Henry Fogel
mp4...@albnyvms.bitnet
I think the fact that an orchestra would do this to him shows
that they did not get along, and if there is any requirement
for a good conductor, it is the ability to deal with a room full
of slightly obssessive artists, some of who have egos sufficently
massive as to have aquired their own gravity wells, and still get
music produced.
Margaret-Mary Petit Internet: MP4...@uacsc1.albany.edu
Rockefeller College Bitnet: MP4...@albnyvms.bitnet
SUNY Albany, NY
----`---,---{@
James C Liu
>Very nasty indeed. Proving that a conductor doesn't have perfect pitch is
>no great accomplishment -- and perfect pitch never has been an important
>criterion for conducting.
... as any original instruments enthusiast will tell you.
8-)
Sorry, sorry. I'll try to make nice now.
--
/James C.S. Liu, MD "The best cure for insomnia is to get
jl...@world.std.com a lot of sleep."
Department of Medicine -- W. C. Fields
New England Med Ctr, Boston MA