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If anyone had a knack
for defying convention with an
astounding rate of success, it was Leonard Bernstein. When
he became music director of the New York Philharmonic in
1958—15 years after his surprise debut with the same ensemble,
then only months into his tenure as its assistant conductor—
the tradition had been for those assistants to remain in the
position for only one year. But then Seiji Ozawa caught his
eye. The winner of the 1960 Koussevitsky Prize at Tanglewood,
where Bernstein had been a close advisor for the conducting
and orchestral programs since 1951, and subsequently the win-
ner of a scholarship to study with the quintessential maestro
Herbert von Karajan, Ozawa was quickly sought by Bernstein
to become one of the NY Phil assistants in 1961. One of three
conductors in the role, Ozawa was nonetheless a clear favorite,
being chosen to lead a performance during the orchestra’s 1961
tour and retaining a close association with Bernstein, if unoffi-
cially, through the maestro’s 1965 sabbatical.
The especial attention from “America’s music teacher” of
course drew the attention of other ensembles. Ozawa made
debuts with the orchestras of San Francisco, Minneapolis,
Detroit, and Montreal between 1962 and 1963. During the latter
summer, he received a call similar to that which Bernstein
received in 1943: the conductor for the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra’s concerts at Ravinia has suddenly taken ill at the
11th hour, and could Ozawa come conduct his concerts. Even
with a program inherited from Georges Prêtre, comprising
Beethoven’s Third
Leonore
Overture, Grieg’s Piano Concerto,
and Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony, Ozawa appointed
himself well in his Ravinia and CSO debuts on July 16, with
the
Chicago Daily News
readily recognizing the influence
of “Leaping Lenny”: “While conducting, he [Ozawa] slides
easily from waltz to rhumba to twist to a modified version of
the Limbo … however, he remains in control of the situation.
Ozawa can make an orchestra do almost anything he wants …
it would be hard to name a conductor of his age more gifted,
and it will be fascinating to see what becomes of him.”
The second night, July 18, was opened up to Ozawa, which
caused the
Daily News
to assert, “It is necessary to revise the
glowing estimation that appeared in this space … because by
evening’s end it was becoming hard to think of many more
gifted conductors of any age. This time, Ozawa faced and
passed the only worthwhile test of a conductor: he brought
a new work [Takemitsu’s
Requiem for Strings
], rehearsed the
orchestra in it thoroughly, and then secured a performance
of polish and poetic imagination. Very little time should
elapse before he shows up again at the head of the Chicago
Symphony.” In very little time indeed—just a few days more
than a month later—Ozawa was named the first music director
of Ravinia, where he would bring the flair and passion for the
music of his time (as well as music written specifically for his
time) that he shared so similarly with his mentor, Bernstein,
through the end of the decade.
July 16 & 18, 1963
55 YEARS AGO
ON THIS DATE
JULY 9 – JULY 22, 2018 | RAVINIA MAGAZINE
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