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,

I can only offer a personal view of what I have enjoyed and would expect
from the Music Director of a major orchestra.  I'm not a musician, only a
listener who began subscribing to BSO concerts at 16.  It was Munch's last
year.  While Munch had his strengths and weaknesses, my God what strengths.
It's a few years since that 1961-62 season, but I remember several of those
concerts well today.  I cannot and will not attempt to explain what was so
memorable.  I haven't the musical vocabulary or training.  It's subjective,
emotional, and I'm grateful for the experience.

I also admit a concert isn't memorable just based on the performers and
their performance.  It's very personal.  I have listened to the same
recording and had a different experience many times.  I'm sure others have
this experience.  And, memorable music doesn't only happen with 'great'
orchestras, soloists, and conductors.

However, I would expect a great musical organization to provide something
beyond the ordinary.  The expectation should be for something unique,
perhaps something not to be heard like it elsewhere.  To me it seems a
Music Director and orchestra management should build on strengths, and use
guests to complement.  My expectation is to enjoy the Music Directors
strength, then enjoy those of guests to provide a concert season that
represents a broad spectrum of music.

With Munch you knew the French tradition would be alive and well.
With Ozawa, I just don't see much strength or focus.  Yes, he seems to
do best with modern music, but there still seems to me a lack of focus
and direction.  Mind you I haven't been in Boston for a number of years,
but this is my sense and friends still in the area support the view.  I
certainly could characterize the BSO I knew growing up, but I'm not sure
how it would be described today.  At first Ozawa seemed to have interest in
the French tradition, then the course seems to have changed.  That's OK, if
it seemed to be going somewhere, but to me it seems to be wandering.  I
don't know what has been going on in commissions, but certainly Kousevitsky
continued and expanded a magnificent tradition of supporting living
composers, with the BSO doing many premiers.

Other Music Directors I have admired provide some musical 'personality',
it makes things interesting - sometimes great.  Some you will like, others
not.  With Ozawa, Ho hum, how was dinner? Is my wife going to start
complaining about her comfort in the Symphony Hall seats? (Or, have they
changed those?)

Looking back on the time I have spent in Symphony Hall and at other
concerts, I do remember several nice concerts with Ozawa conducting,
nothing special.  There have, however, been very special concerts with
the BSO.  Some that I remember, were conducted by Munch, Abbado, Davis,
Ansermet, Tennestedt, Rostropovitch.  I'm also sorry to say, some of what
I would call my favorite concerts of 20th century repertoire were not
conducted by Ozawa, although some of his were nice.

Some Boston Symphony concerts have been very memorable.  For me, in the
recent past, too many have been nice.

"Tom Connor" <[log in to unmask]>