Current location:Global Gateway news portal > health
VOX POPULI: China always occupied a special place in Ozawa’s heart
Global Gateway news portal2024-05-21 16:31:06【health】1People 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.
Address of this article:http://turkey.nanorelatosmagicos.com/content-21e599973.html
Very good!(17)
Related articles
- Liverpool confirms Arne Slot as Jurgen Klopp's replacement
- Jon Bon Jovi's son 'MARRIED!' Jesse Bongiovi 'ties the knot' with Jesse Light in Las Vegas
- Alabama lawmakers approve stiffer penalties for falsely reporting crime
- Turnbull scores twice as Toronto cruises past Minnesota 4
- Election 2024: Biden and Trump bypassed the Commission on Presidential Debates
- Abbey Clancy flaunts her jaw
- Mateo's go
- Indiana GOP governor nominee Mike Braun announces his choice for lieutenant governor
- Cruise worker 'murders newborn son on board ship': Shocked co
- Kourtney Kardashian opens up about undergoing 'terrifying' fetal surgery during 'high
Popular articles
- Ricky Stenhouse punching Kyle Busch could lead to suspension
- Brit tourist, 76, drowns while swimming in the sea during day trip to Greek island with his wife
- Haley won 1 in 5 Indiana Republican voters in the presidential primary. She left the race in March
- Japanese automaker Nissan reports 92% jump in profit as sales surge
Recommended
Strictly star Giovanni Pernice's former partner Rose Ayling
Pirates are calling up top pitching prospect Paul Skenes for his major league debut, AP source says
Eurovision explained, as the contest is shadowed by Israel
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift will get engaged within a YEAR, claims Dave Portnoy
Children are evacuated from school 'during an exam' after threat made via email
Hurricanes, Blues tussle for top spot in Super Rugby Pacific
Beyond Meat urges investors to look past bumpy Q1, says new US burger could reignite sales
What happened when we sent LIZ JONES on a blind date
Links
- South Africa elections 2024: What you need to know
- Hong Kong to hold historical French fashion exhibition
- Oleksandr Usyk beats Tyson Fury to become undisputed heavyweight champ
- Framing growing cultural connections
- Wolf and Bakrar each score a goal, NYCFC beats Red Bulls 2
- Standings undisturbed despite drama
- China's youngest symphony orchestra sets standard
- Arsenal are seen REHEARSING their Premier League trophy presentation
- Young people work to preserve precious past
- Columbia University encampment holds on as negotiation in progress