Nikita Niconov | Dec 2024 | Hong Kong
It is with great sadness that we reflect on the passing of Seiji Ozawa in 2024. A highly regarded Japanese conductor, Ozawa led some of the world’s most renowned orchestras. He passed away due to heart failure at the age of 88 at his residence in Tokyo on 6 February 2024.
Throughout his lifetime, Ozawa achieved a great many notable accomplishments. Perhaps the most acclaimed of these was his appointment as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in 1973. This role served as a catalyst for his rise as one of America’s most distinguished conductors. It is widely acknowledged that, under Ozawa’s direction, the BSO gave numerous memorable performances, and he was also highly regarded for his willingness to undertake challenging works that many conductors were reluctant to perform.
Upbringing
The third youngest of four brothers, Ozawa was born in 1935 in Mukden, in what was then known as Manchuria. Shenyang, the modern name for Mukden, is now the capital of Liaoning province, in the north-eastern part of China. Seiji’s father, Kaisaku Ozawa, was a dentist by profession, and went to China to set up and operate his own dental clinic. He was an idealist who pursued harmony and peace for Japanese and Chinese people in Manchuria. However, he eventually decided to leave his business and join the New People’s Society (中华民国新民会), a pro-Japanese organisation. It is understood that the Ozawa family was under constant surveillance by the Japanese military intelligence service, whose objectives differed from those of Kaisaku Ozawa.
Consequently, Ozawa spent his early childhood years in China with his Japanese parents. Ozawa’s mother was a Protestant and was known to attend church regularly. Hymns were therefore Ozawa’s first encounter with Western music. Nevertheless, his family history in China shaped his future, in which he would become one of the pioneers of connecting China with the outside world in the 1980s.
In 1941, the young Seiji Ozawa returned to Japan with his mother and three brothers, his father joining them two years later. Ozawa began piano lessons at primary school, with his teacher being Toyomasu Noboru (1912–1975). However, an incident in junior high school – where he broke two fingers while playing rugby – would lead to several months of recovery and also have a significant impact on the course of his life. Following this period of recovery, Ozawa resumed playing the piano and, with ongoing encouragement from his piano teacher, started conducting studies. His ongoing piano practice deepened his understanding of Bach and counterpoint, as well as how to play by heart – skills that proved invaluable when he conducted complex works from memory (including operas) later in his career.
It was after this period of recovery and rehabilitation that Ozawa’s mother introduced him to Hideo Saito (1902–1974), a distant relative of her family, with the aim of furthering his conducting studies. Saito became Ozawa’s inspirational teacher, teaching him privately and advising him to attend the Music School for Children, a music educational organisation co-founded by Saito. Ozawa’s career blossomed further by the opportunity to transfer to Toho Gakuen School after the establishment of its Music Department.
Ozawa showed a strong commitment to conducting, setting up his own choir to exercise his conducting skills. In his third year at junior school, he founded “The Sound of the Castle”, a choir initially formed by 10 close friends, including his younger brother, who would gather in the music hall after the school day and practise singing hymns.
Trip to Europe
During the 1960s, it was not common for leading foreign artists to visit Japan for concerts – but, when they did, Ozawa made the very most of these occasions. In mid-1955, the Symphony of the Air, under the direction of Arturo Toscanini (1867–1957), was performed in Japan for a period of three weeks. Ozawa was fortunate enough to attend the public rehearsal of Brahms’s Symphony no. 1 at the Hibiya Public Hall, which left a deep impression on him, prompting the idea of studying overseas.
Ozawa put in an application for overseas studies in France, but unfortunately, owing to his lack of proficiency in the French language, his application was unsuccessful. Despite this, he remained steadfast in his commitment to pursuing music training in Europe, determined to seize any opportunity that might arise.
Ozawa was fortunate enough to receive financial support from a former classmate whose father was the chairman of Mitsui Fudosan Real Estate Property, a large Japanese corporation. This financial gift enabled him to travel to Europe by cargo ship. Furthermore, he was very grateful to be provided with a scooter from Fuji Heavy Industries.
So in 1959, at the age of 24, Ozawa embarked on an ambitious journey, setting sail on a cargo ship with a scooter, a guitar and his personal belongings. This journey, lasting 60 days and including stopovers in Manila, Singapore, Bombay, Alexandria and Messina, ultimately led him to Marseille. From this Mediterranean port city, he travelled to Paris on his scooter, arriving on 8 April 1959.
His decision to remain in Europe would prove to be influential on the young conductor’s future – one example of this being his first encounter with French conductor Charles Munch (1891–1968) at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées. On another occasion, he had the pleasure of meeting Japanese pianist Kyoko Edo (1937–2024), who had studied at Toho Gakuen Girls’ High School. It was during this conversation that Ozawa learnt about the prestigious Besançon International Conducting Competition, held in France, for which Ozawa’s application was accepted at the last minute. After an opening round of 48 contestants, which was eventually whittled down to only three competing in the final round, Ozawa emerged victorious, marking him as the first Asian to win the competition since its inception in 1951.
Encounters with World-Class Conductors
Behind any leading conductor, there is an army of teachers who both teach and inspire a young musician; Ozawa was no different. Over the course of his career, a host of leading conductors significantly impacted Ozawa’s own conducting career. At the time of the Besançon International Conducting Competition, the late maestro Charles Munch, musical director at the time of the BSO, was one of the jurors. At the post-competition celebratory party, Ozawa was delighted to see Munch again, and approached him, humbly requesting that Munch be his mentor. Munch graciously declined, citing his own demanding schedule, as well as his belief that conducting is not something that can be taught. However, he did express his willingness to teach Ozawa if the latter were to visit Boston – a prospect that made the young conductor greatly consider the possibility of relocating to the US.
In September of that year, Ozawa travelled to Berlin to meet the Japanese soprano Tanaka Michiko. Tanaka had assisted many people from Nazi persecution during the World War II, including many music professionals, such as the world-renowned conductor Herbert von Karajan (1908–1989). This encounter proved to be a stepping stone in his relationship with Ms Tanaka, which would later facilitate his connection with Karajan.
Following Berlin, Ozawa returned to Paris. There, he had the privilege of studying at the private school of the acclaimed French composer and conductor Eugène Bigot, as well as the opportunity to take weekly lessons free of charge and to work with an orchestra. Both of these unique opportunities allowed Ozawa to delve deeply into authentic French music.
In May 1960, Ozawa left for Berlin once again, in order to participate in a conducting competition – the winner of which would have the unique opportunity to become the student of Herbert von Karajan. The young Ozawa is said to have beaten around 40 or 50 other competitors to come triumphantly in first place.
Two months later, he attended the Berkshire Music Festival (now known as the Tanglewood Music Festival) in Massachusetts, where he worked with Munch. During this period, he observed Munch’s conducting of the BSO and, on occasion, even took the opportunity to conduct the BSO himself. Furthermore, he sang in the chorus of Faust’s Eternal Punishment. At the closing ceremony of the festival, he was honoured with the esteemed Koussevitzky Grand Prize.
Winners of competitions often find themselves presented with a range of opportunities on a global scale, and this was certainly the case for award-winning conductors. After receiving the Koussevitzky Prize, Ozawa returned to Berlin to study with Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. At that time, Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990) – one of Ozawa’s major influences – came to West Berlin with the New York Philharmonic (NY Phil). It was Madame Serge Koussevitzky who arranged for Ozawa to meet Bernstein. The American conductor offered him the prestigious position of assistant conductor at the NY Phil. Following this once-in-a-lifetime appointment, Ozawa sought and received counsel from Karajan, who was supportive of his decision to accept the offer and return to Berlin.
Mentor for Life – Saito Hideo
Hideo Saito (1902–1974) was a cellist and conductor. His musical education took place in Germany. It is understood that he developed an interest in the mandolin as an instrument during his youth. He subsequently enrolled at Sophia University in Tokyo to study German, with the aspiration of pursuing further international study opportunities in the future.
At around the age of 20, he began to study the cello with the aspiration of becoming a cellist. He then decided to leave university to study under Hidema Konoe (1898–1973) at the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany. He returned to Japan in 1927 and became the principal conductor for the New Symphony Orchestra (formerly the NHK Symphony Orchestra), a position he held from May 1928 onwards. However, this was not to last long, and he returned to Germany to study with the legendary cellist Pablo Casals (1876–1973) and Emanuel Feuermann (1902–1942) for around two years. Upon his return to Japan, he assumed various conducting roles with several orchestras and simultaneously pursued his passion for music education.
Saito was dedicated to music education for the young generation. He observed that, owing to the war, children tended to start learning music at a late age compared to those in the West. This could potentially result in a missed golden period for musical development. At the time of his meeting with Ozawa, he had already transitioned away from conducting professional orchestras, opting instead to dedicate himself to music education for children.
Following the conclusion of the war in 1948, he established a music school in a location near Ichigaya Station, collaborating with a number of fellow musicians and critics. The student body at that time included children from kindergarten and primary school. Ozawa himself enrolled at the school, where he received instruction in the fundamentals of musicianship and the solfège system, despite his advanced age relative to that of the other students. It is also recorded that he was involved in the formation of an orchestra there, which included some of the younger pupils, and that he had the opportunity to contribute to conducting.
In 1952, he was able to gather support from others to set up the music department at Toho Gakuen Girls’ High School.
Conducting Highlights
Ozawa accepted his new role with the NY Phil in 1961, marking the beginning of a fruitful period in his conducting career. In the same year, he had the opportunity to return to Japan with the NY Phil for a series of public performances.
* 1964–1968: Artistic director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s annual summer Ravinia Festival.
* 1965–1969: Music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (on Bernstein’s recommendation).
* 1970–1976: Music director for the San Francisco Symphony.
* 1970–1973: Music director of the Tanglewood Festival.
* 1973–2002: Officially appointed the 13th music director of the BSO. This 29-year tenure was the longest among all the conductors in the orchestra’s 128-year history. Under Ozawa’s leadership, the BSO experienced significant growth in its budget, which grew from less than USD 10 million in the 1970s to over USD 200 million by the time he left the BSO.
* 2002–2010: Music director of the Vienna State Opera.
Ozawa was also the first Japanese conductor to lead the new year concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The concert was released as a Universal Classics album, 2002 New Year’s Concert, in January 2002. In the same year, it reached the top 10 in the Japanese album chart.
Illness
In 2010, Ozawa made the devastating announcement that he had oesophageal cancer. He underwent surgery, during which his entire oesophagus was removed, resulting in slow physical recovery – most likely compounded by back pain due to years of standing while conducting. Ozawa was later hospitalised again for aortic stenosis. Since this difficult period, Ozawa was very sadly forced to cancel various concert and music festival appearances owing to continuing poor health conditions.
Fostering a Relationship with China
On 19 February 2024, the Chinese Foreign Ministry shared its condolences following the passing of Ozawa, acknowledging his profound contributions to cultural exchanges between Japan and China.
Ozawa had a varied career in China, with numerous musical engagements over the years. Towards the end of 1976, when China was still recovering from the Cultural Revolution, he visited Beijing with his mother and one of his elder brothers. He took with him a photo of his father to aid him in tracking down his family roots. Two years later, Ozawa was invited by the Chinese government to lead the Central Orchestra of Beijing – an event preceding a major historical international agreement that would take place later that year: the establishment of official diplomatic relations between China and the US. The following March, the BSO became the first US orchestra to visit China, led by Ozawa, with key Chinese leaders Deng Xiaoping and Soong Ching-ling attending the first concert at Hongta Auditorium in Beijing.
Ozawa visited Hong Kong on three occasions – the first of which took place in October 1962, when he led the NHK Symphony Orchestra, in the same year when Hong Kong City Hall opened. He also performed at the inaugural Hong Kong Arts Festival in 1973 with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, during which the pianist Fou Ts’ong (1934–2020) joined him on stage for a Mozart concerto. In November 1989, Ozawa was due to join the BSO in concert but unfortunately a replacement had to be found owing to Ozawa’s health issues. Instead, he visited Hong Kong in December 1994 with the BSO and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus – the latter’s first performance overseas.
Ozawa took up the role of principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera and performed in Beijing in 2004 for a Chinese New Year celebratory concert at the Great Hall of the People together with the Vienna Philharmonic. His last public performance in China was in 2008, when he had the privilege of conducting the National Symphony Orchestra of China for two concerts on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day at the then newly opened National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing. On other occasions when Ozawa was not engaged in music performance, he had fruitful music-related interactions with musicians in China.
Foray into Opera Conducting
It is often said that there is value in taking a chance when it presents itself, however late in the day. In Ozawa’s case, opera came to him somewhat later in his professional conducting career. In an interview, he explained that, when he first started to learn music in Japan, there was very little Western opera around. Furthermore, his teacher, Saito, did not teach opera at all during the seven years he studied with him. On top of this, the school singers focused mainly on lieder, and opera was not part of their repertoire. Ozawa’s first experience of opera was in 1959, when he saw Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro in Vienna – the same year that he first visited Europe.
Prior to assuming the role of music director of the Toronto Symphony in 1965, his conducting experience was primarily focused on standard orchestral repertoire. However, he had developed an affinity for operas. In 1983, he led the world premiere of Messiaen’s Saint François d’Assise at the Théâtre national de l’Opéra de Paris. This was the very first opera work by the 75-year-old French composer, who had spent eight years working on the piece.
In 1992, Ozawa made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York with Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and returned in 2008 to conduct The Queen of Spades, a work by the same Russian composer. In 2005, Ozawa conducted the first concert for Tokyo Opera Nomori (now called Spring Festival in Tokyo), a musical organisation co-founded with Japanese musicians, and with a specific focus on Western operas in his home country.
The Saito Orchestra
Ozawa established the Saito Kinen Orchestra in 1984 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the passing of his inspirational teacher, Saito. Eight years later, the international Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto Music Festival (now the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival) was founded. Ozawa worked closely with the orchestra, and together they made recordings – one of which (Ravel: L’Enfant et les sortilèges; Shéhérazade, 2015) was nominated for several Grammy Awards and won the Best Opera Recording award.
Despite the physical challenges posed by health issues in later years, in 2022 Ozawa conducted the Saito Kinen Orchestra in a live broadcast of Beethoven’s Egmont Overture. This unique concert was in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to broadcast to outer space to astronaut Koichi Wakata, who lived on the International Space Station.
A Lasting Legacy
Ozawa leaves a legacy as one of the most influential, internationally known Eastern Asian conductors. A trailblazer in the realm of Western music (historically dominated by European figures), Ozawa was rightfully recognised with numerous international awards and honours throughout his life, recognising his musical talent and his long and illustrious career. His passion and commitment to classical music continues to inspire many, and his leadership of major orchestras has been widely acknowledged for a willingness to take on large and challenging works – something that many others in the field were reluctant to undertake. A strong supporter of promoting Asian musicians, Ozawa’s contributions to musical education and cultural exchanges have also been recognised as a valuable legacy for future generations.
Further Reading
Smedvig, Caroline, ed. Seiji: An Intimate Portrait of Seiji Ozawa. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998
Ozawa, Seiji, 『ボクの音楽武者修行』, 新潮文庫, 2002
尾﨑 綱賀, 『おれ、指揮者になる！ ―小澤征爾の青春時代』, 2023
小沢俊夫、小澤征爾、小沢幹雄, 『小澤征爾, 兄弟と語る-音楽, 人間, ほんとうのこと』, 2022