Ozawa´s non-Mahler recordings.

[oscar]

Hello all,

I am interested in the better non-Mahler recordings by Seiji Ozawa.

Any particular reccomendation?

thanks,

Oscar.

[John Kim]

Try a couple of Ravel recordings as well as Stravinsky/Rite of Spring (both with CSO and BSO).

John,

[barry guerrero]

Pretty much any French rep. with Ozawa is at least good, if not REALLY good. I have a very good "Damnation Of Faust" with Ozawa/BSO (DG). Be sure to try his De Falla "Three Cornered Hat" and "El Amor Brujo". I saw him give a truly great performance of the 3-corned Hat in S.F., clear back in the late '70s.

Some say that his Brahms with the Saito Kinen Orch. of Japan is a terrific set. You would probably have to import that from HMV Japan.

I'm generally not crazy about his Richard Strauss, but he did a really terrific "Alpine Symphony" with the VPO on Philips. I have it on a DVD-A disc, which has great sound. See if you can't find a used "redbook" CD of it someplace. That's well worth a listen. Also, his "Salome" with Jessye Norman and Staatskapelle Dresden (beautiful sound and playing) is worth hearing as well.

For something off the beaten path, try the Panunfnik/Sessions CD with Ozawa/BSO on Hyperion, or the DG Originals disc with his early S.F. "American In Paris" (terrific!) and "Street Concerto" (something like that) - Russo's harmonica concerto written for Corky Siegel. It's hoaky but it's fun.

I happen to like his Dvorak symphonies 6-9 with the VPO on Philips. They're not entirely idiomatic - a tad "teutonic", perhaps - but are still quite interesting. Each of those symphonies is coupled with one of the late tone poems of Dvorak.

Ozawa's "Turangalila" Symhony (Messiaen) is a great bargain on RCA. It's still one of the best ones ever. As for "Le Sacre du Printemp", see if can't find the remastered version of his much earlier Chicago recording of it.

[Don]

Best thing Ozawa ever put on disc:

William Russo Three Pieces for Blues Band and Orchestra

Combined with Russo's "Street Scene" and a nice "American in Paris"

DG recording, deleted but available from ArchivMusic.com in their ArchivCD series.



The cover shot sure shows its 1970's vintage. (I think I even had a shirt like that once.. )

[Leo K]

Ozawa's Ives 4th on DG, with the BSO I believe, is quite underated...MTT perhaps is more successful with this work, but I like how Ozawa's Ives sounds natural, without any forced idea of american music in the sound picture.

--Todd

[akiralx]

His Liszt and Rach 1 concerti with Zimerman.

[vvrinc]

Don’s recommendation is “dead on!” The LP sound on this has never been equalled by DGG. CD is pretty good but nothing like the vinyl.

[alpsman]

I agree with BG about Alpine, Dvorak 9. Excellent playing and sound from Musikverein by Philips. Also great Sacre-especially from Boston, very warm and ''melodious''(that's strange for the barbaric mastrepiece, but it works absolutely).
Also I have in vinyl performances of Berlioz Fantastique and Tchaikovsky 5 with Boston from around 1973 and I like them a lot.

And-surprise the New Year 2002 concert. Just listen or better watch the Danse Diabolique of Hellmesberger jn. Virtuosity, high spirits, clever instrumentation. Don't miss it!

[Jules]

A charming CD including Respighi's Antiche Danze ed Arie per liuto.

[barry guerrero]

Now that you mention Respighi, his DG disc of the famous Roman trilogy is quite good too (Fountains/Pines/Festivals).

Another truly great French disc that Ozawa made, was the complete "Joan Of Arc" (Honneger) that he recorded with the L'Orchestre National de France. That's really an amazing recording of an amazing work. He also did the two short Poulenc operas for Philips, which are quite fun. Don't forget that great Faure disc he made with the BSO, not to mention the Poulenc "Gloria" & "Stabat Mater". He really did a good job on French rep. in general. It's funny then that he never recorded a knock-out "La Mer".

[Eric Nagamine]

Hello all,

I am interested in the better non-Mahler recordings by Seiji Ozawa.

Any particular reccomendation?

thanks,

Oscar.

His Chicago Symphony Pictures at and Exhibition on RCA/BMG is terrific. (AFAIK, it's only available in Japan or on the expensive XRCD issue) The coupled Britten Variations on a Theme of Purcell is stunning.

I once heard him do an incredibly intense and concentrated Bartok Concerto for Orchestra and Beethoven 7th Symphony in Honolulu of all places. I wish I had a copy of the concert.

-----------------------
Eric Nagamine

[Russell]

His Chicago Symphony Pictures at and Exhibition on RCA/BMG is terrific. (AFAIK, it's only available in Japan or on the expensive XRCD issue) The coupled Britten Variations on a Theme of Purcell is stunning.

I once heard him do an incredibly intense and concentrated Bartok Concerto for Orchestra and Beethoven 7th Symphony in Honolulu of all places. I wish I had a copy of the concert.

-----------------------
Eric Nagamine

I agree wholeheartedly with the Chicago 'Pictures'.  It's the recording that I cut my teeth on, and I think it still holds up today.  (I've got the Japanese CD.)  In general, Ozawa's early recordings are to be preferred to his later ones.  I would say anything from his RCA period is very good--his Chicago 'Rite' and Tchaikovsky 5, his Toronto 'Turangalila', for example.  The early DG recordings with the BSO are also very good--'Damnation of Faust', 'Symphonie Fantastique', 'The Three-Cornered Hat', Ives 4, the Ravel series.  I even like his BSO Beethoven 5 and 'Four Seasons' on Telarc!  There's also a good EMI recording with Chicago (1969?) of the Concerto for Orchestra of both Bartok and Lutoslawski.

Russell