Viktoria Mullova, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa – Tchaikovsky, Sibelius – Violin Concertos (1985/2022) SACD ISO

Viktoria Mullova, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa – Tchaikovsky, Sibelius – Violin Concertos (1985/2022)
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 01:06:33 minutes | 2,67 GB
Genre: Classical | Publisher (label): Decca Classics – 484 513-3

“Listening to the Mullova again confirms my earlier impression. The Sibelius is magnificent: stern, vigorous and entirely free from the kind of sentimental inflation that has distorted our view of this work. Her Tchaikovsky is harder to take: here I definitely prefer Nigel Kennedy’s genial and warm approach, even though it sounds a little low-powered after the intensity and energy of Mullova. The sound on the Mullova disc is magnificently spacious with the soloist well forward, though on CD the sense of distance between solo violin and various instrumental groups tends to sound wider than on LP, especially in the Sibelius: the stopped horns at fig. 4 in the finale sound as if they’re coming from a completely different part of the hall. Kennedy’s recording sounds entirely natural, so that for the most part one is hardly aware of it. the soloist is reasonably close, but the violin/orchestra perspective is nicely judged. In both recordings the violin tone is well captured: even Mullova’s terrifying crescendo molto at fig. 6 in the first movement of the Sibelius is contained without loss of impact.

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Wiener Philharmoniker & Seiji Ozawa – Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s Concert (2002) Blu-ray 1080i AVC DTS-HD MA 5.0

Title: New Year’s Concert / Neujahrskonzert 2002
Release Date: 2012
Genre: Classical
Conductor: Seiji Ozawa
Artist: Wiener Philharmoniker, Vladimir Malakhov & Vienna Operaballett, Spanish Riding School of Vienna

Production/Label: King Records (Jp)
Duration: 01:47:51 + 00:20:52
Quality: Blu-ray
Container: BDMV
Video codec: AVC
Audio codec: DTS, PCM
Video: MPEG-4 AVC 37943 kbps / 1920*1080i / 29,970 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio#1: DTS-HD MA 5.0 / 48 kHz / 2054 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Audio#2: LPCM Audio / 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Size: 38.55 GB

Anyone still reeling from the revisionist austerities of Harnoncourt’s recent New Year’s concerts will be thrilled to hear these somewhat more traditional performances, in which Seiji Ozawa strikes an excellent balance between a healthy serving of Viennese Schlag and an altogether welcome rhythmic discipline. It helps that three of the most enjoyable pieces are making their New Year’s Concerts debut: Zivio (March) and Elisen (Polka francaise), both by Strauss Jr., and best of all the wonderfully energetic Danse diabolique by Joseph Hellmesberger II. This last is a real find. All three add sparkle to the usual fare, including a high-spirited Fledermaus Overture, lilting renditions of the Artist’s Life, Vienna Blood, and Blue Danube Waltzes,  and of course the concluding Radetzky March. Anyone cynical about Ozawa’s credentials in Strauss et al will find in this disc a welcome corrective: he makes wonderful music with what is now effectively his orchestra (in its operatic incarnation), and if you think that these pieces play themselves, try some of Lorin Maazel’s New Year’s outings. Excellent sonics too, bright and neat, top off a thoroughly entertaining concert. Pass the champagne! –David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com (more…)

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Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa – Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5; Mussorgsky: A Night on Bare Mountain (1969/2017) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa – Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5; Mussorgsky: A Night on Bare Mountain (1969/2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 55:12 minutes | 2,24 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Sony Classical

He is “one of those rarities, a natural conductor”, exclaimed one reviewer after Seiji Ozawa’s Chicago Symphony debut on July 16, 1963 at the orchestra’s Ravinia Festival. “His technical facility is phenomenal, his sense of rhythm both solid and subtle, and his knowledge of scores… detailed and intimate.” Another Chicago critic concurred: “His conducting technique reminds you of his teacher, Herbert von Karajan, in that it lays the score in the lap of the orchestra with transparency of gesture and human communication, then commands acceptance.” At the end of the season, the 27-year-old podium sensation was appointed the festival’s first-ever music director, and in the years that followed Ozawa also became a regular CSO guest at Orchestra Hall, its downtown home.

Between 1965 and 1968, he and the orchestra made a series of remarkable albums for RCA. Selected releases are now remastered form the original master tapes and releases for the first time on HighResAudio. They represent an early high-point — perhaps unsurpassed — in the Japanese maestro’s long and distinguished recording career. Featured among these dynamic Ozawa/Chicago performances are three cornerstones of the symphonic repertoire: the Beethoven and Tchaikovsky Fifth Symphonies and the Schubert “Unfinished”, all remastered from the original analogue tapes for this edition.

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Seiji Ozawa, Boston Symphony Orchestra – Ottorino Respighi: Pini di Roma, Feste Romane, Fontane di Roma (1979/2012) SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Seiji Ozawa, Boston Symphony Orchestra – Ottorino Respighi: Pini di Roma, Feste Romane, Fontane di Roma (1979/2012)
PS3 SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 61:53 minutes | Artwork included (PDF) | 2,49 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Artwork (PDF) | 1,08 GB
Japanese Limited SHM-SACD ‘2012 | Deutsche Grammophon / Universal Japan # UCGG-9046

This 1979 recording manages to create the best overall balance throughout at four contrasting sections. During the fist, Ozawa skilfully demonstrates how to let the noisy children have fun in the grounds of the Villa Borghese while keeping them under control, summoning plenty of glitter from the percussion department, and maintaining an appropriately lively tempo . . . While he misses no details, Ozawa certainly never overdoes them . . . Ozawa also knows how to sustain the final gigantic crescendo that brings the marching Roman army to the victorious final bar, aided at all times by the rich and sonorous quality of this superbly-engineered Deutsche Grammophon recording. Ozawa pours the full sheen and brilliance of the Boston Symphony Orchestra over the rich score and the end result really is truly overwhelming.

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Seiji Ozawa, Martha Argerich – Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2; Grieg: Holberg Suite (2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Seiji Ozawa, Martha Argerich – Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2; Grieg: Holberg Suite (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 56:34 minutes | 1,02 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Decca Music Group Ltd.

Four decades of friendship and musical partnership brings these two titans of classical music together again. Eagerly anticipated follow-up to their now-legendary recording of the first concerto. Recorded live in concert in Japan in May 2019.

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Seiji Ozawa – Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3; Symphony No. 7 (2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Seiji Ozawa – Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3; Symphony No. 7 (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 52:53 minutes | 961 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Decca Music Group Ltd.

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.

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Peter Serkin, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa – Schoenberg: Piano Concerto, Op. 42; 5 Piano Pieces, Op. 23 & Phantasy, Op. 47 (1968/2017) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Peter Serkin, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa – Schoenberg: Piano Concerto, Op. 42; 5 Piano Pieces, Op. 23 & Phantasy, Op. 47 (1968/2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 48:11 minutes | 1,73 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Sony Classical

He is “one of those rarities, a natural conductor”, exclaimed one reviewer after Seiji Ozawa’s Chicago Symphony debut on July 16, 1963 at the orchestra’s Ravinia Festival. “His technical facility is phenomenal, his sense of rhythm both solid and subtle, and his knowledge of scores… detailed and intimate.” Another Chicago critic concurred: “His conducting technique reminds you of his teacher, Herbert von Karajan, in that it lays the score in the lap of the orchestra with transparency of gesture and human communication, then commands acceptance.” At the end of the season, the 27-year-old podium sensation was appointed the festival’s first-ever music director, and in the years that followed Ozawa also became a regular CSO guest at Orchestra Hall, its downtown home.

Between 1965 and 1968, he and the orchestra made a series of remarkable albums for RCA. Selected releases are now remastered form the original master tapes and releases for the first time on HighResAudio. They represent an early high-point — perhaps unsurpassed — in the Japanese maestro’s long and distinguished recording career. Featured among these dynamic Ozawa/Chicago performances are three cornerstones of the symphonic repertoire: the Beethoven and Tchaikovsky Fifth Symphonies and the Schubert “Unfinished”, all remastered from the original analogue tapes for this edition.

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Mito Chamber Orchestra & Seiji Ozawa – Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 (2019) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Mito Chamber Orchestra & Seiji Ozawa – Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:08:37 minutes | 1,21 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Decca Music Group Ltd.

“Ozawa may be entering a glorious Indian summer of creativity” Gramophone

45 years after his debut Philips recording of Beethoven’s 9th, Seiji Ozawa returns to this epic masterpiece

The Mito Chamber Orchestra features many international star players including Radek Baborák (horn), Ricardo Morales (clarinet) and Philippe Tondre (oboe). The German baritone Markus Eiche leads a quartet of leading Japanese soloists and the Tokyo Opera Singers in a fascinating performance on a chamber orchestra scale.

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Martha Argerich, Seiji Ozawa, Mito Chamber Orchestra – Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 & Piano Concerto No. 1 (Live) (2018) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Martha Argerich, Seiji Ozawa, Mito Chamber Orchestra – Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 & Piano Concerto No. 1 (Live) (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:00:39 minutes | 1,01 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Decca Music Group Ltd.

Two Legends together on record for the first time; first new release from Seiji Ozawa since his Grammy win for Best Opera in 2016.

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Mstislav Rostropovich, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa – Dvořák: Cello Concerto; Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme (2017) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Mstislav Rostropovich, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa – Dvořák: Cello Concerto; Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme (2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 56:38 minutes | 954 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics

In March 2017, Warner Classics marks the 10th anniversary of Mstislav Rostropovich’s death and 90 years since his birth with the deluxe collectors’ box set Cellist of the Century, comprising of selected remastered recordings.

The label was given unprecedented access to Rostropovich’s personal archive and worked closely with his daughters Elena and Olga. The range and variety of music in the box set is nothing short of extraordinary, embracing works by more than 60 composers, from iconic recordings to rarities. A number of the live performances originate from Russian tapes saved from destruction by resourceful Soviet archivists when Rostropovich was exiled from the USSR (1974-1990), and which came back to light in the late 1990s. Another highlight is the complete Bach Cello Suites, presented here in both audio and video versions. The collection also features an exclusive audio interview of Rostropovich recorded by personality Jon Tolansky.

Although Rostropovich died 10 years ago, on 27 April 2007, he remains a powerful presence on the world’s cultural scene through his legacy as the greatest cellist of his time, as a brave advocate of human rights, and as a man of proverbial generosity and charisma.

Special care has been taken to ensure the highest quality of sound reproduction. Wherever possible, the engineers of Art et Son studios have refined the sound, always with scrupulous respect to the original sources. The analogue recordings originating from EMI and Erato (CD1-15) have been remastered in 96 kHz from the original tapes. These are, therefore, the first recordings where the presence and definition of sound are heard in such detail.

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Peter Serkin, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa – Bartók: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3 (1966/2017) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Peter Serkin, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa - Bartók: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3 (1966/2017) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz] Download

Peter Serkin, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa – Bartók: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3 (1966/2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 52:17 minutes | 2,14 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Sony Classical

What fun this album is! True, today you can get all three Bartk piano concertos on a single disc, but these two performances from the mid-1960s, featuring the hot young talent of Peter Serkin and Seiji Ozawa, really deserve a home in the collection of anyone who cares about this music. With the Chicago Symphony in top form, the team blazes through the percussive First Concerto with take-no-prisoners gusto, especially in the finale. The Third Concerto, a more lyrical work to begin with, still sustains a remarkable degree of tension, and sounds as fresh as the day it was written. The central Andante religioso is completely captivating, the tempo perfectly chosen and Serkin finding poetry in just about every bar. The sonics are very clear, but also somewhat two-dimensional. Bartk’s interesting writing for low winds and percussion in the First Concerto is very well caught, but given the spotlight on the piano you’ll need to fiddle with the volume to find a comfortable listening level.” (David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday). Still, these are undoubtedly great performances, and it’s delightful to see them reissued on HighResAudio.”
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Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa – Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Op.20, TH.12 (Remastered) (1979/2018) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa - Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Op.20, TH.12 (Remastered) (1979/2018) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download

Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa – Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Op.20, TH.12 (Remastered) (1979/2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 02:30:03 minutes | 2,81 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Deutsche Grammophon (DG)

“Swan Lake was the first of Tchaikovsky’s three great ballets– works which added a new level of depth and sophistication to what had been a purely superficial art form. Today the music is so well-known and popular that it’s impossible to comprehend the difficulties the composer experienced at early performances. Audiences found the music “too symphonic,” and the dancers were put off by the prominence given to the orchestra which, they felt, distracted ballet fans from the action on stage. Of course, all of these supposed “defects” are precisely what we admire about the music today, and this elegant but exciting performance reveals the music in all of its glory. ” (David Hurwitz)
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Anne-Sophie Mutter, Seiji Ozawa, Diego Matheuz, Saito Kinen Orchestra – 120 Years Deutsche Grammophon – The Tokyo Gala Concert (2019) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Anne-Sophie Mutter, Seiji Ozawa, Diego Matheuz, Saito Kinen Orchestra - 120 Years Deutsche Grammophon - The Tokyo Gala Concert (2019) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download

Anne-Sophie Mutter, Seiji Ozawa, Diego Matheuz, Saito Kinen Orchestra – 120 Years Deutsche Grammophon – The Tokyo Gala Concert (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:06:56 minutes | 1,31 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © Deutsche Grammophon (DG)

Deutsche Grammophon is marking the 120th anniversary of its company foundation on December 6, 1898 with a carefully curated global programme of DG120 live concerts, special events, record releases and much more. The world’s oldest and best-known classical label will use its anniversary year to continue building a lasting legacy. The company’s unprecedented DG120 programme has been designed to reach existing fans worldwide, attract new followers in Asia and beyond, and share its peerless catalogue with as many people as possible. It has already attracted new audiences in search of great recordings and performances, as well as garnering extensive international media coverage.
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Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7; Choral Fantasy – Martha Argerich, Saito Kinen Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa (2017) Blu-ray 1080i AVC DTS-HD MA 5.0

Сomposer: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Title: Beethoven – Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7; Choral Fantasy, Op. 80
Release Date: 2017
Genre: Classical
Director: Mari Inamasu, Yo Asari
Conductor: Seiji Ozawa
Artist: Saito Kinen Orchestra; Bonus: Martha Argerich piano, Lydia Teuscher soprano, Rie Miyake soprano, Nathalie Stutzmann alto, Kei Fukui tenor, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt tenor, Matthias Goerne baritone, OMF Chorus

Production/Label: EuroArts Music International GmbH
Duration: 01:23:01 + 00:24:18
Quality: Blu-ray
Container: BDMV
Video codec: AVC
Audio codec: DTS, PCM
Video: MPEG-4 AVC 21957 kbps / 1920*1080i / 29,970 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio#1: DTS-HD MA 5.0 / 48 kHz / 3664 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Audio#2: LPCM 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Size: 20,47 GB

Seiji Ozawa is not only a world-famous Japanese conductor, but also a founder and director of the Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto, home of the Saito Kinen Orchestra, which in 2015 was renamed the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival (OMF). In this all-Beethoven program, Ozawa conducts the popular Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7, performed with his fellow colleagues of the Saito Kinen Orchestra.
In 2015, the commemorative first year as OMF, Seiji Ozawa conducted Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 for the first time in 15 years. In 2016, he conducted Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in Matsumoto for the first time in 23 years.
In addition to these two performances, bonus content features rare footage from the Celebrating Seiji at 80! Gala Concert. A total of 300 top-class musicians gathered from around the world on September 1, 2015 to celebrate Festival Director Ozawa’s 80th birthday. The centerpiece of this concert, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, is included in the extra. This rendition performed by pianist Martha Argerich, who appeared as a friend, and an array of soloists including Nathalie Stutzmann and Matthias Goerne, greatly delighted everyone in attendance. Choral Fantasy was not part of Argerich’s repertoire thus far and this will be the first release ever as footage. There is also valuable footage of Ozawa being serenaded with Happy Birthday by all and blowing out a birthday candle. (more…)

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Henryk Wieniawski – Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 – Itzhak Perlman, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Henryk Wieniawski – Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 – Itzhak Perlman, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/96 kHz | Time – 00:50:18 minutes | 0,99 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Master, Official Digital Download – Source: Q0buz | Artwork: Digital Booklet | © Warner Classics
Recorded: Abbey Road Studios, London, 1 & 2 November 1971

Not only was Henryk Wieniawski one of the most brilliant violinists of the nineteenth century, he was also one of the first “modern” virtuosos not to limit his repertoire to his own works but to introduce audiences to music by such greats as Bach and Beethoven. Polish by birth, he was educated in Paris, studying the violin principally with Lambert Massart (Wieniawski won first prize in the violin at the age of eleven, making him the Conservatoire’s youngest-ever graduate) and composition with Hippolyte Collet. He was still only eighteen when he published his First Violin Concerto, which was a triumph at its premiere in Leipzig in 1853. He became renowned across Europe, admired for his dazzling artistry, both on the violin as a soloist and on the viola in chamber music — notably in concerts organised by the Beethoven Quartet Society while he was in London in 1859.

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