Your current location:HOME >politics >VOX POPULI: China always occupied a special place in Ozawa’s heart 正文
TIME:2024-05-01 04:57:37 Source: Internet compilationEdit:politics
If 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.
Tunisian opposition wants political prisoners freed before taking part in presidential election2024-05-01 04:28
Tourists enjoy boat rides in Pingshan canyon in C China's Hubei2024-05-01 04:12
Xi Focus: Encouraging Sci2024-05-01 03:59
Tourists enjoy kiteboarding in Hainan2024-05-01 03:27
Bizarre moment yacht gets wedged underneath railway arches while being carried on a low2024-05-01 03:01
‘Xinjiang Is a Nice Place' opens for a third year2024-05-01 02:57
Xi Stresses Unique Role of Auditing in Party's Self2024-05-01 02:53
Xi's Vision Injects Confidence, Wisdom into Forging Closer China2024-05-01 02:42
HBCU Xavier of New Orleans moves closer to establishing a medical school2024-05-01 02:40
Xi Focus: Xi Charts Course for China2024-05-01 02:36
Using a walker boot for too long may mean you can't ever walk properly without it again2024-05-01 04:31
Chinese paddlers continue winning streak at WTT Champions Incheon2024-05-01 04:19
Migrating grey cranes fly to national wetland park in SW China's Yunnan to overwinter2024-05-01 04:02
Xi Congratulates and Encourages Teachers and Students of Macau University of Science and Technology2024-05-01 03:40
Select list of nominees for 2024 Tony Awards2024-05-01 03:35
Xi Story: Xi's Commitment to Empowering Chinese Children2024-05-01 03:33
Xi Calls for Enhancing All2024-05-01 03:19
Xi Story: The Growth Story of a 'Dot'2024-05-01 02:41
Growing wildfire risk leaves states grappling with how to keep property insurers from fleeing2024-05-01 02:38
Xi Jinping: Embracing a Brighter Future for Our Six Countries2024-05-01 02:16