<figure id="attachment_406145" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-406145" style="width: 2237px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="4151a40f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/12/67052a13176d1563731020dbeec6d93e.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-406145" class="wp-caption-text">Mr. Ozawa visiting a neighborhood Japanese sweets store with his dog (from the April 14, &#8217;06 issue).</figcaption></figure>
<p> Many famous people sadly passed away in 1924. We look back on the activities of the past and remember the deceased, based on the articles and other information we have published in the past.</p>
<h2><span class="strongInContent"> The &#8220;NHK Symphony Orchestra Incident&#8221; was a turning point</span></h2>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Conductor Seiji Ozawa passed away peacefully on February 6 at his home in Tokyo. He was 88 years old. The cause of death was heart failure.</span></p>
<p> The news of the death of Seiji Ozawa, who was known as &#8220;The World&#8217;s Ozawa,&#8221; came via his office&#8217;s official website.</p>
<p> Mr. Ozawa was born in 1935 in Shenyang (formerly Mukden), China. He first wanted to be a pianist, but when he was in junior high school, he broke the index finger of his right hand playing rugby, so he switched to conducting. He became a student of conductor Hideo Saito, and after graduating from the music department of Toho Gakuen Junior College, he went to France in 1959. During his stay in Paris, he won the Besançon International Competition for Conductors that same year and studied under Charles Munch, who was a member of the jury, as well as such renowned masters as Karajan and Bernstein.</p>
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<p> The &#8220;NHK Symphony Orchestra Incident&#8221; in 1962 is said to have been a turning point for Ozawa, who was active on the world stage at a young age. When Mr. Ozawa was between 26 and 27 years old, the NHK Symphony Orchestra invited him as a guest conductor, but he eventually had a friction with the orchestra members and was boycotted from performing. This incident led Mr. Ozawa to decide not to pursue musical activities in Japan, and he began to focus more on the world.</p>
<p> In 1973, he became the Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, one of the five major orchestras in the U.S. In 2002, he became the Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, one of the five major orchestras in the U.S. He was appointed to the position of Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, He served as Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, one of the five major orchestras in the U.S., for 29 years until 2002. It is said to be unusual for one conductor to serve as music director of the same orchestra for nearly 30 years.</p>
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<p> In Japan, he was involved in the founding of the New Japan Philharmonic in 1972, and he was also involved in the development of the Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto (now the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival), held annually in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, from a memorial concert held 10 years after the death of his former teacher, Hideo Saito. He also served as music director for the 1998 Nagano Olympics.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" This magazine saw him fighting illness in his later years."></div>
<h3><span class="strongInContent">He would pick up his beloved chihuahua and rub it with his cheeks.</span></h3>
<p> But in his later years, Mr. Ozawa was constantly battling illness.&#8217; Around 2005, his health began to deteriorate. This magazine encountered Mr. Ozawa in January 2006, when he was diagnosed with shingles, chronic maxillary sinusitis, and keratitis, and cancelled his scheduled overseas performances to rest at home.</p>
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<p> On a sunny afternoon in late March 2006, Ozawa and his daughter Seira were strolling along a shopping street near their home. Mr. Ozawa, wearing a cap and sunglasses, was accompanied by his dog, a Chihuahua. Waiting for his order in front of a Japanese confectionery shop, Ozawa stopped the moving Chihuahua with his foot or picked it up and gave it a nuzzle. Suddenly, he would look up at the sky, beat a rhythm with his right hand, and hum something to himself. No one noticed the &#8220;World Famous Ozawa&#8221; in such a playful mood.</p>
<p> Three months later, in June, Ozawa resumed his conducting activities. However, he continued to be plagued by esophageal cancer and back pain, and he frequently took time off and returned to conducting.</p>
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<p> Since Mr. Ozawa was the general director of the Mito Chamber Orchestra, he often appeared at their concerts. The owner of a restaurant in Mito told NHK the following.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> He was a man with deep pockets and could get along with anyone. He liked strong drinks. When I went to listen to the orchestra, I could see that the members were focused, but when we were at the restaurant, Ozawa-san took good care of the members and everyone seemed relaxed.&#8221;</span></p>
<p> Unlike his uncanny power when he waved the plectrum, Ozawa-san in his true colors seemed to be a very friendly person.</p>
<p> I pray for his soul rest in peace.</p>
<figure id="attachment_406147" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-406147" style="width: 1864px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="02ebeaa4"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/12/50a3e197e2a24dccc53c9d11c0fd7de8.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-406147" class="wp-caption-text"> Walking with his daughter, Seira. Their dog, a chihuahua, was walking with them (from the April 14, 2006 issue).</figcaption></figure>


 Shinichiro Takeda

 In Memoriam '24] World-famous conductor Seiji Ozawa passed away on February 6 this year. This magazine had witnessed Mr. Ozawa while he was recuperating from an illness in 2006. What was the "unexpected expression" that we caught a glimpse of when Mr. Ozawa was taking a walk on a sunny afternoon?

In Memoriam &#8217;24] Playing with a Chihuahua in a Shopping Arcade&#8230;An Unexpected Expression of Seiji Ozawa, the &#8220;World&#8217;s Ozawa&#8221; as Seiji Ozawa was seen by this magazine

In Memoriam ’24] Playing with a Chihuahua in a Shopping Arcade…An Unexpected Expression of Seiji Ozawa, the “World’s Ozawa” as Seiji Ozawa was seen by this magazine

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