The Berliner Philharmoniker pays tribute to long-time musical partner, friend, and honorary member Seiji Ozawa with a commemorative posthumous hardcover edition. This special set of recordings features previously-unreleased and carefully-restored radio recordings from 1979 to 1996, capturing a particularly rich and productive period in their collaboration. The selection of works highlights Ozawa’s stylistic range and personal favorites, including Austro-German Classicism and late Romanticism, French repertoire, and modern classics. Above all, the recordings showcase Ozawa’s unique ability to make even the most complex music sound clear and multi-layered, an ability that he attributed to a conducting technique based on breathing.
The edition includes six CDs featuring pieces by Bartók, Beethoven, Berlioz, Bruch, Bruckner, Haydn, Hindemith, Mahler, Ravel, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, and Wagner. It also contains a Blu-ray disc with concert footage from 2009 and 2016, marking Ozawa’s final performances at the Philharmonie Berlin. A bonus video documents Ozawa’s induction as an honorary member of the Berliner Philharmoniker.
The accompanying book, thoughtfully designed, includes personal essays by Ozawa’s daughter Seira and his close friend, writer Haruki Murakami, reflecting on their memories of the conductor. Additionally, it features numerous previously-unseen photos taken by Gustav Zimmermann, a Berliner Philharmoniker violinist, capturing intimate moments from their time together. The edition was initially planned with Seiji Ozawa himself and was completed in close collaboration with his family
The new set of recordings is available in hardcover or digitally. You can hear a partial release from the set, Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony, on all major streaming platforms.
Trailer for the new edition