He actually passed away the day Dave posted this video (6 February). In Japan the announcement is usually made a few days later out of respect for the privacy of the family members
I was with Seiji when he celebrated his 40th birthday in the tent back of the music shed at Tanglewood. I especially remember his Berlioz Damnation of Faust, the Requiem (with two orchestras at Tanglewood), and the open rehearsal and performance of Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder. RIP.
Ugh, when I read Ozawa had passed I instinctually went for my copy of the Dvorak cello concerto with Rostropovich, but just as I was pulling it out I saw that Gurrelieder with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus next to it. Well, of course I played both, but I made that Schoenberg the first Ozawa I listened to after his passing. It really is sublime.
Thanks for the re-discovery! So many people dump on this guy for no reason other than the fact he's Asian. Nice to see him getting his due. I had an acquaintance once (I refrain from saying "friend") who claimed every Asian musician he listened to sounded like a "robot," i.e., bland, emotionless, cold. He listed top-flight artists. It was crazy! I'm sure in a blind test with no fore-knowledge of who was playing he would've changed his tune completely. People need to listen with their EARS, not their PREJUDICES.
When I first got interested in classical music, Seiji Ozawa was one of my big Sherpa-guides to the core repertoire. I live in Boston and always have - and the BSO broadcast every week - and back in the 1970's when I came to the music, they broadcast twice a week. Over the years I heard every corner of his repertoire - and his range was pretty wide - much wider than he ever got credit for. I heard my first Beethoven symphonies, my first Neilsen Fourth, my first Brahms, my first Ravel, my first Mahler in performances he conducted - so I guess we go back a long way. All to say - it's great to see Ozawa get some respect for a change - from a critic, no less! The Faure disc is great - but he made scads of great records.
What an outstanding disc! I was listening to it a few weeks ago. My own choice, should Cancrizans come calling, is the set of Ravel orchestral works. It's my first choice in that music, but it wasn't always. In the last ten years or so, I've come to really respect & admire Ozawa's output.
Really interesting, Dave. Thank you. I always thought that Ozawa had a very refined sensibility. From the snippets of interviews I've seen on the tv over the years, he came across as someone who was very thoughtful. I have never seen him live but I have seen him on UA-cam etc and I've always liked what I heard. I will seek this out. Thanks for the recommendation.
A fine CD. I bought it a few months ago by coincidence, looking to add a choral version of Pavane to my collection. I was very happy with the sound and performances. I have an old RCA LP of Ozawa conducting Messiaen's Turangalîla (b/w a Takemitsu work) with my home town orchestra, Toronto SO, in 1967, which I think was one of the first stereo versions of it, a bit adventurous in its time.
Great choice. I can't speak for all of Ozawa's output, but I've had this recording since the early 90s and have thoroughly enjoyed it over all these years.
I’ve one definitive Ozawa favourite. Stravinsky, The Firebird, /Orchestre de Paris, complete score. Absolutely magical and stunning in the great climaxes, complimented by one of EMI’s best engineered recordings from the Salle Wagram, Paris.
I love this disc too! Great choice! That said, I had occasion to listen to his Gurre-Lieder with the same forces recently... superb! Glad you made fleeting reference to it in this video...
I love a lot of Ozawa recordings. My choice would be his Rite of Spring with the CSO. It’s the most amazing recording of that piece I have ever listened to.
Wonderful, interesting choice! One of my favorite recordings that I bought years ago despite the Penguin Guide’s two star rating, indicating mediocrity, of course.
For me, there are two legendary conductors, Rafael Kubelik with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and Seiji Ozawa, with the Boston Symphony orchestra
Who else when watching David’s videos, uses the picks as a sounding board to grab the disc yourself and give it a spin. Mr Hurwitz is my own personal program planner, (if I have the particular one in question). Today I have this in the DG conductors 8cd set. 😎 and spinning it shall be…
My top Faure CD. What a wonderful collection. I always wish that a second would have been recorded. The Ballade (piano w /orchestra ) Fantasies for piano and flute plus Other incidental music. The only con on this disc, the violins could be a little harsh at times.
Ozawa's recording of Griffes' "The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan" with Boston should be the reference disc for that piece. He uses the original score, not the smoothed-over Frederick Stock version everyone else does. The coda alone is more modern-sounding and effective.
I LOVE that recording. I first bought it as an LP. It was my introduction to Griffes, and the Pleasure Dome and 3 Poems of Fiona MacLeod are masterpieces. I've performed the Poems in the original piano version several times with different sopranos.
Dave, thank you for this video. Slightly adjacent topic - I was recently looking - I was sure you had done a video review of the big DG Boston Symphony box. I was looking for it recently to have another listen, but I can't find it anywhere. Did I imagine that? Thanks!
I can't fine it either, and I was also sure I'd done it, but there were so many Ozawa boxes that I might have just skipped it because I did the DG BSO box, which is also the Ozawa box (for the most part), so no need to do both.
I recommend Ozama's Mass in B minor with the (I'm sure I am not spelling it correctly) Saito Kinen orchestra. I go for that one when I want a performance that sounds neither like period music, nor like Karl Richter. It's very balanced and flawless.
Believe it or not, my favorite works by Prokofiev are his violin sonatas and concertos (I say that because folks seem to agree that Prokofiev was first and foremost a pianist). What does that have to do with Ozawa? Nothing I'm afraid! I just wanted to say that I too think Romeo and Juliet is sublime (wonderfully sublime), iconic (with villains, lovers, and tragedy), and is a work that has enormous family appeal (that's why it was used for Peter and the Wolf). I've never heard Ozawa's version, but I'm anxious to get the orchestral works you review here, as I'm not familiar with them.
This is a good choice, but I would never part his recording of Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream with Judy Dench. Despite this piece being recorded hundreds of times, that performance is really special.
This was posted the day the maestro left us. A beautiful tribute it turned out to be, thank you Dave. May Ozawa sensei rest in peace
Yes, exactly my thoughts. Thanks!
Ozawa just passed away 😢😢😢 RIP maestro
A true legend. RIP 🙏
He actually passed away the day Dave posted this video (6 February). In Japan the announcement is usually made a few days later out of respect for the privacy of the family members
I was with Seiji when he celebrated his 40th birthday in the tent back of the music shed at Tanglewood. I especially remember his Berlioz Damnation of Faust, the Requiem (with two orchestras at Tanglewood), and the open rehearsal and performance of Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder. RIP.
Ugh, when I read Ozawa had passed I instinctually went for my copy of the Dvorak cello concerto with Rostropovich, but just as I was pulling it out I saw that Gurrelieder with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus next to it. Well, of course I played both, but I made that Schoenberg the first Ozawa I listened to after his passing. It really is sublime.
Thanks for the re-discovery! So many people dump on this guy for no reason other than the fact he's Asian. Nice to see him getting his due.
I had an acquaintance once (I refrain from saying "friend") who claimed every Asian musician he listened to sounded like a "robot," i.e., bland, emotionless, cold. He listed top-flight artists. It was crazy! I'm sure in a blind test with no fore-knowledge of who was playing he would've changed his tune completely. People need to listen with their EARS, not their PREJUDICES.
So true!
It's never a good idea to project group differences, wether they're perceived or real, on any individual in particular.
When I first got interested in classical music, Seiji Ozawa was one of my big Sherpa-guides to the core repertoire.
I live in Boston and always have - and the BSO broadcast every week - and back in the 1970's when I came to the music, they broadcast twice a week. Over the years I heard every corner of his repertoire - and his range was pretty wide - much wider than he ever got credit for.
I heard my first Beethoven symphonies, my first Neilsen Fourth, my first Brahms, my first Ravel, my first Mahler in performances he conducted - so I guess we go back a long way. All to say - it's great to see Ozawa get some respect for a change - from a critic, no less! The Faure disc is great - but he made scads of great records.
And two days later, he's gone... RIP Maestro.
Many thanks, David, for guiding me to this recording. Ozawa's Pelleas is the most beautiful with its dreamy lyricism.
What an outstanding disc! I was listening to it a few weeks ago. My own choice, should Cancrizans come calling, is the set of Ravel orchestral works. It's my first choice in that music, but it wasn't always. In the last ten years or so, I've come to really respect & admire Ozawa's output.
Really interesting, Dave. Thank you.
I always thought that Ozawa had a very refined sensibility. From the snippets of interviews I've seen on the tv over the years, he came across as someone who was very thoughtful. I have never seen him live but I have seen him on UA-cam etc and I've always liked what I heard. I will seek this out. Thanks for the recommendation.
A fine CD. I bought it a few months ago by coincidence, looking to add a choral version of Pavane to my collection. I was very happy with the sound and performances. I have an old RCA LP of Ozawa conducting Messiaen's Turangalîla (b/w a Takemitsu work) with my home town orchestra, Toronto SO, in 1967, which I think was one of the first stereo versions of it, a bit adventurous in its time.
Great choice. I can't speak for all of Ozawa's output, but I've had this recording since the early 90s and have thoroughly enjoyed it over all these years.
Thanks for recommending this. Happy to have found it within the Seiji Ozawa Conductors and Orchestras little box-set! Perfect bed-time listening!
I’ve one definitive Ozawa favourite. Stravinsky, The Firebird, /Orchestre de Paris, complete score. Absolutely magical and stunning in the great climaxes, complimented by one of EMI’s best engineered recordings from the Salle Wagram, Paris.
Sadly, this cd is unavailable. One hopes DG we re-think a re-release. I have not a single Ozawa performance in my collection.
Have this recording in my cd collection. Bought it mainly for the ELEGIE, but it is a nice disc from start to finish. THANKS DAVE....
Great fun! New YTube 'What's My Line' video from 1963. Seiji Ozawa! (not yet well known in US)
He also conducted the SFSO too. Many wonderful concerts. A killer Mahler 2nd.
I love this disc too! Great choice! That said, I had occasion to listen to his Gurre-Lieder with the same forces recently... superb! Glad you made fleeting reference to it in this video...
RIP Maestro!
I've gotten so much pleasure from the Faure and Prokofiev in the last 35 plus years I don't know how I would have picked one over the other.
I liked some of Ozawa Brahms and Mahler symphonies..thanks Dave I will check Ozawa Faure out.
I love a lot of Ozawa recordings. My choice would be his Rite of Spring with the CSO. It’s the most amazing recording of that piece I have ever listened to.
Wonderful, interesting choice! One of my favorite recordings that I bought years ago despite the Penguin Guide’s two star rating, indicating mediocrity, of course.
1st class Pick 👍
For me, there are two legendary conductors, Rafael Kubelik with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and Seiji Ozawa, with the Boston Symphony orchestra
Who else when watching David’s videos, uses the picks as a sounding board to grab the disc yourself and give it a spin. Mr Hurwitz is my own personal program planner, (if I have the particular one in question). Today I have this in the DG conductors 8cd set. 😎 and spinning it shall be…
My top Faure CD. What a wonderful collection. I always wish that a second would have been recorded. The Ballade (piano w /orchestra ) Fantasies for piano and flute plus Other incidental music. The only con on this disc, the violins could be a little harsh at times.
Ozawa's recording of Griffes' "The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan" with Boston should be the reference disc for that piece. He uses the original score, not the smoothed-over Frederick Stock version everyone else does. The coda alone is more modern-sounding and effective.
I LOVE that recording. I first bought it as an LP. It was my introduction to Griffes, and the Pleasure Dome and 3 Poems of Fiona MacLeod are masterpieces. I've performed the Poems in the original piano version several times with different sopranos.
This is a great overall choice most certainly.
The Mahler 1, BSO (DG) ranks [despite so many Mahlers out there]
Dave, thank you for this video. Slightly adjacent topic - I was recently looking - I was sure you had done a video review of the big DG Boston Symphony box. I was looking for it recently to have another listen, but I can't find it anywhere. Did I imagine that? Thanks!
I can't fine it either, and I was also sure I'd done it, but there were so many Ozawa boxes that I might have just skipped it because I did the DG BSO box, which is also the Ozawa box (for the most part), so no need to do both.
I recommend Ozama's Mass in B minor with the (I'm sure I am not spelling it correctly) Saito Kinen orchestra. I go for that one when I want a performance that sounds neither like period music, nor like Karl Richter. It's very balanced and flawless.
Believe it or not, my favorite works by Prokofiev are his violin sonatas and concertos (I say that because folks seem to agree that Prokofiev was first and foremost a pianist). What does that have to do with Ozawa? Nothing I'm afraid! I just wanted to say that I too think Romeo and Juliet is sublime (wonderfully sublime), iconic (with villains, lovers, and tragedy), and is a work that has enormous family appeal (that's why it was used for Peter and the Wolf). I've never heard Ozawa's version, but I'm anxious to get the orchestral works you review here, as I'm not familiar with them.
This is a good choice, but I would never part his recording of Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream with Judy Dench. Despite this piece being recorded hundreds of times, that performance is really special.
I hear you!