[video dead] What comes to mind when you hear the name Seiji Ozawa? The first thing for me is a photo of him with cellist Mstislav Rostropovich on the cover of their 1987 recording of Dvorak's Cello Concerto and Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations. Ozawa appears as though he could pull music from the instruments by the sheer power of his will. Though always one to conduct with power and a reserved flair, his recent appearance at the Saito Kinen Festival in Matsumoto, Japan required all of his strength to even address the audience. Then, despite still trying to recover from surgery for esophageal cancer, he conducted the first movement of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings before giving way to another conductor who finished the program. Music lovers the world over certainly hope for a full recovery for the man who has brought us so many remarkable moments over the years. There are many sides to Ozawa and rather than try to describe them, I'll let the video speak for itself. --Boyce Lancaster [youtube K8u6MoA7fv0] [youtube NHLQjrNPPME] [youtube pph8EIsc0q0]
The Ozawa Legacy
