Artist: Seiji Ozawa
Album: Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3; Symphony No. 7
Genre: Classical
Release Date: 2020
Audio Format:: FLAC (tracks) 24 bit, 96 kHz
Duration: 52:53
Total Tracks: 5
Total Size: 961 MB

Tracklist:

1. Seiji Ozawa – Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b (Live) (14:24)
2. Seiji Ozawa – I. Poco sostenuto – Vivace (Live) (14:50)
3. Seiji Ozawa – II. Allegretto (Live) (08:31)
4. Seiji Ozawa – III. Presto – Assai meno presto (Live) (07:24)
5. Seiji Ozawa – IV. Allegro con brio (Live) (07:41)

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Decca Classics announces the release of a new record marking the 85th birthday of Grammy-winning Japanese conductor, Seiji Ozawa. Recorded live in 2016/17, Ozawa leads the Saito Kinen Orchestra in performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No.7 and Leonore Overture No. 3, also marking the German composer’s 250th birthday year.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.