Four Centuries of Great Music February 18, 2024 A Rememberance of Seiji Ozawa

Seiji Ozawa passed away on February 6 at age 88 in Tokyo. He was the  longest-serving conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and held the title of music director for 29 years from 1973-2002.  And he was only music director of the BSO my entire time in Boston.   I would like to take this episode of Four Centuries of Great Music to remember Maestro Seiji Ozawa.  

Seiji Ozawa’s last performance on April 20, 2002 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Orchestra Hall in Boston, Ozawa ended with Gustav Mahler’s Symphony #9 so I would like to begin my remembrance of him with this work.

It is in four movements:  I. Andante comodo; II. Im Tempo eines gemächlichen Ländlers. Etwas täppisch und sehr derb; III. Rondo-Burleske: Allegro assai. Sehr trotzig and IV. Adagio. Sehr langsam und noch zurückhaltend

Let’s open with the first movement of Mahler’s Symphony #9 here performed by Seiji Ozawa conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra from the album Mahler, Symphony #9 and the adagio from Symphony #10. Digital Classics

Let’s continue this remembrance of Maestro Seiji Ozawa with the second and third movements of Mahler’s Symphony #9 here performed by Seiji Ozawa conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra from the album Mahler, Symphony #9 and the adagio from Symphony #10. Digital Classics

Let’s open this second hour of my remembrance of Maestro Seiji Ozawa with the fourth movement of Mahler’s Symphony #9 here performed by Seiji Ozawa conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra from the album Mahler, Symphony #9 and the adagio from Symphony #10. Digital Classics

As I continue this remembrance of Seiji Ozawa's legacy at the Boston Symphony Orchesta, I want to take note of his first performance as the BSO Music Director in 1973, conducting a Hector Berlioz’ dramatic legend The Damnation of Faust.

I would like to play 3 arias from this work:
From Part 3 the opening scene "Autrefois un roi de Thulé”
From Part 3: Scène 10. "Que l'air est étouffant”
From Part 4: Scène 15. Romance. "D'amour l'ardente flamme”.  

Here is a performance by Edith Mathis with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Seiji Ozawa from the album The Art Of Edith Mathis  Deutsche Grammophon

Let’s close this remembrance of Seiji Ozawa with him performing  with the Boston Symphony Orchestra the overture, polka, valse, and cancan from Jacques Offenbach’s Gaîté parisienne from the album Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra  Deutsche Grammophon

Thank you for joining us today on Four Centuries of Great Music and join us again next Sunday from 3-5pm as we continue our series of the music of black composers.