James Tobin wrote:

>Now here, I suspect, we are really cutting to the chase, in answering the
>question why so many are so dismissive of Ozawa.  I wonder how many of his
>detractors are going on the assumption that all music directors of major
>orchestras should excel in the basic repertoire --and if they aren't,
>they're just no good or, at best, dull.  Some celebrated conductors have
>specialized in a tiny personal repertoire,

*Tiny* is the operative word.  But fine.  Perhaps Ozawa would do better as
a guest in his chosen repertoire? Seriously.  Because a music director has
responsibilities other than just conducting: administration, personnel,
sound of the orchestra generally (a guest can do only so much)--all areas
in which I find him deficient.  Too often I find visiting orchestras
sounding better and more enthusiastic to me than the BSO, and that disturbs
me greatly, and enough this year to drop my subscription--a very sad day in
our house.  But there have been just too many disappointments to continue
on a regular basis.

>I once heard a complaint that Ozawa never performed Schubert.  Why
>should he, if he doesn't like Schubert? I did hear him perform Brahms'
>2nd Symphony extremely well; even Richard Dyer praised the performance.

Once a critic of Ozawa, I have rarely heard Dyer criticism the conductor in
the last few years.  He's been more of a cheering section in the reviews I
read, and I read most of them.

Roger Hecht