Seiji Ozawa, with his striking face and flowing mane, came to the conductor’s podium every now and then in all white, without ever making a fuss about himself. Entirely dedicated to classical music, which of course also included modern music for him, and not just that of his fond conductor Toru Takemitsu (1930 – 1996), who was Japanese like himself but five years older than Ozawa. If you listen to how Ozawa conducts his famous “Requiem” or “A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden”, the title describes Ozawa’s attitude to music, how he plastically transforms nature into sound and philosophy and serenity, then you understand that this musician very quickly became extremely popular in the West and supposedly the most frequently performed conductor, especially since he was also one of the few all-rounders in his profession. Ozawa was able to enchant European music without letting it become esoteric or impressionistic. Every sound he makes contains a life secret that he formulates without ever being zealous.
On the death of the master conductor Seiji Ozawa. – Culture
