Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Orchestra: Saito Kinen Orchestra
Conductor: Seiji Ozawa
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Decca
Catalogue: 4850027
Release: 2020
Size: 961 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
01. Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92
02. I. Poco sostenuto – Vivace
03. II. Allegretto
04. III. Presto – Assai meno presto
05. IV. Allegro con brio
The legendary Japanese conductor returns in new live recordings for Beethoven 250. “Ozawa may be entering a glorious Indian summer of creativity” – Gramophone Featuring his beloved Saito Kinen Orchestra, voted by Gramophone as one of the world’s 20 greatest orchestras “Animation, vibrancy and joy… he is among the most fortunate of God’s creatures who are nourished and sustained by the love of what they do” John Williams “This lithe, balletic athlete with a shock of thick black hair and beads on his white turtleneck. It was Seiji Ozawa, whose energy and grace and dynamism completely entranced me” Steven Spielberg on first seeing Seiji Ozawa.
Emblazoned with a red “85th Birthday” banner across the top of the graphics, this live release is indeed cause for celebration. Seiji Ozawa has made a number of recordings in his old age with the Saito Kinen Orchestra that he founded, and the results have been impressive, but he will have a hard time outdoing this live performance. The Saito Kinen Orchestra is not a standing orchestra but a group that frequently turns over with new players, most of whom have a connection with Ozawa. The musicians are young, and Ozawa rides their energy, catching their excitement at being part of a great performance for perhaps the very first time. Ozawa’s interpretation is impressive. He takes the music deliberately, revealing many small details and unusual relationships between sections of a movement; the scherzo is especially deftly handled in this regard. The subtle progression of the slow movement, less a funeral march than a death-haunted house, is also memorable. It all adds up to a performance that draws on a lifetime of experience. The crowd roars with approval at the end of the symphony, and so will listeners.