Current location:world >>
VOX POPULI: China always occupied a special place in Ozawa’s heart
world22People have gathered around
IntroductionIf memory serves, I met conductor Seiji Ozawa in Beijing around 20 years ago when he was working wit ...
If memory serves, I met conductor Seiji Ozawa in Beijing around 20 years ago when he was working with a group of young Chinese on the opera “The Barber of Seville” composed by Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868).
I vividly recall his look of tremendous satisfaction, mixed with surprise, as he told me happily, “The rise of the level of music in China is simply astounding.”
Ozawa, who died Feb. 6 at age 88, was born in 1935 in the former Manchurian city of Mukden (present-day Shenyang). He was said to have been named Seiji after two senior officers of the Kwantung Army--Seishiro Itagaki (1885-1948) and Kanji Ishihara (1889-1949).
Probably because of his background, Ozawa always had a special affection for China. He often referred to himself as “someone who was born in China and grew up in Japan.”
When he revisited China after World War II, Ozawa recalled the tragic history of the Sino-Japanese War, and his eyes were sometimes said to be red from weeping as he stood on the podium.
Around the time of his global debut, racial discrimination and prejudice toward Japanese was not unusual in Europe and the United States. There, people just assumed no Japanese conductor could really understand Bach.
Ozawa struggled to find his own identity. His search for roots, if you will, may have made him aware of his feelings for China.
If you watched him from a distance, he was “Ozawa of the world” who only had to wave his magic baton to melt national borders so he could easily jump over them.
But I will never forget these words he spoke quietly: “How far can Asians understand classical music that was born in Europe? My life is an experiment to find out.”
Ozawa valued personal ties. He once said of the Japan-China relationship, “What matters is each individual person. What ordinary citizens think is far more important than what the government thinks. That, at least, is what I believe.”
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 10
* *
*Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Culture Cross news portal”。http://www.chennaidetectives.net/html-98a499899.html
Related articles
Danish King Frederik and his Australian
worldCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s King Frederik X arrived in Stockholm on Monday with his Austral ...
【world】
Read moreA naturally elevating trip
worldGuizhou's stunning landscapes, and lack of crowds, make it a perfect place to lift the spirits.T ...
【world】
Read moreChina sees travel boom during May Day holiday: report
worldTourists visit Youzhou ancient town of Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, southwest China' ...
【world】
Read more
Popular articles
- One natural gas transport plan killed in New Jersey as another forges ahead
- China finish with three titles at BWF French Open
- China holds cultural and tourism event in L.A. following resumption of group tours
- Winning, not experimenting, is Bangladesh priority against Zimbabwe in T20 series
- Tom Brady roast: Netflix live event features Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick reunion
- Reims coach Will Still leaves French league club with immediate effect
Latest articles
Redfin agrees to pay $9.25 million to settle real estate broker commission lawsuits
Medicaid expansion discussions could fall apart in Republican
Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities
China further expands outbound group tours
Point guard Deivon Smith transferring to St. John's from Utah
Japan's Kishida unveils a framework for global regulation of generative AI
LINKS
- Google announces another round of layoffs as part of 'large scale' restructuring
- Sweeping gun legislation approved in Maine after mass shooting
- OJ Simpson's remains are cremated in Las Vegas as his lawyer reveals ex
- Having a stressful job could stave off dementia, according to new analysis
- Having a stressful job could stave off dementia, according to new analysis
- Takeaways from AP's story on the BP oil spill medical settlement's shortcomings
- Champions League rules leave teams chasing a moving target in the Bundesliga
- Xinjiang's progress in the eyes of national legislators, political advisors
- Iran stages huge parade of weapons and goose
- Genius iPhone hack will save you so much time when traveling