Allan Kohrman writes:

>Seiji Ozawa is finally leaving the BSO after 25 years of thoroughly
>mediocre conducting

As we have noted many times, there's no accounting for taste, but I am
always wary of sweeping generalizations, especially those contrary to my
own experience.  In the past 25 years I have heard many programs conducted
but Ozawa that were anything but "thoroughly mediocre".  His Messiaen and
Takemitsu performances have been very well received, and even in more
"central" repertoire I have heard him do wonderful things.  His Bartok
and Prokoviev are generally very good, and there have been numerous
Mahler performances that I remember enjoying.  I have even heard him do
a genuinely thrilling Beethoven 5th.  I have to wonder if Ozawa's eastern
origins engender a subtle prejudice against his "inability to understand
Western music".

Be that as it might, my dark horse candidate for the position is Thomas
Dausgaard, everything I have bheard by whom has been extraordinary.

len.