BSO — 2025/11/08

 Tonight the BSO gives us a tribute to long time maestro Seiji Ozawa with Japanese conductor and violin soloist and a piece by a Japanese composer — all with connections to Ozawa. We find the following at WCRB's website: https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2025-09-10/okisawas-bso-debut-and-tribute-to-seiji-ozawassical Music on WCRB

                Saturday, November 8, 2025

                8:00 PM

Japanese conductor Nodoka Okisawa, a protégée of former BSO Music Director Seiji Ozawa, makes her BSO debut with Dvořák’s Seventh Symphony and Takemitsu’s Requiem for strings, a work Stravinsky hailed as a masterpiece. The Ozawa tribute continues with Midori, a longtime Ozawa collaborator, as soloist in Dvořák’s Violin Concerto.

Nodoka Okisawa, conductor
Midori, violin

Tōru TAKEMITSU Requiem for strings
Antonín DVOŘÁK Violin Concerto
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 7

Learn about Seiji Ozawa's history and incredible legacy with the BSO.

See the Boston Symphony Orchestra's 2025-2026 season on their site.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity):

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Nodoka Okisawa, who's here with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for the very first time. Ms. Okisawa, thank you so much for your time today. I appreciate it.

Nodoka Okisawa Thank you so much

Here's how the BSO introduces the concert on their performance detail page: https://www.bso.org/events/nov-6-8-takemitsu-dvorak?performance=2025-11-08-20:00

Boston Symphony Orchestra Nodoka Okisawa, conductor Midori, violin TAKEMITSU Requiem for strings  DVOŘÁK Violin Concerto       intermissionDVOŘÁK Symphony No. 7  

Japanese conductor Nodoka Okisawa was mentored by longtime BSO Music Director Seiji Ozawa, who appointed her the first principal guest conductor of the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto (formerly Saito Kinen) Festival. She makes her BSO debut, leading a program that is the first in our series of concerts examining the last three symphonies of Antonín Dvořák, whose work Ozawa especially loved. She is joined by beloved violinist Midori, a longtime Ozawa collaborator. The great Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu, whose work Ozawa and the BSO promoted, was one of the first composers to gain a reputation in the West with his Requiem for strings — a work deemed a masterpiece by Igor Stravinsky.

As is often the case, there are links to performer bios and program notes. Click on the arrows.

I don't see a review in the lGlobe. The one in the Intelligencer https://www.classical-scene.com/2025/11/08/okisawa-midori/ is largely favorable but complains at several points that the orchestra was playing too loudly.

It seems this will be worth hearing.