Igor Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring (Seiji Ozawa)

Information

Composer: Igor Stravinsky

• Fireworks, Op. 4 (2025 Remastered Version)
• The Rite of Spring (2025 Remastered Version)

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Seiji Ozawa, conductor

Date: 1968 / 2025

Label: Sony Classical

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While rarely featured these days, The Rite of Spring was once synonymous with Seiji Ozawa. This performance, which brings out the light and airy sound of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, brings to mind the dashing conducting of a young Ozawa.

Seiji Ozawa (1935–2024) was a pioneering conductor known for his energetic style and interpretations of 19th-century Western symphonic music. Born in Manchukuo to Japanese parents, he shifted from piano to conducting after a hand injury and studied under Hideo Saito. After early success in Japan, he won major competitions in Europe and trained at Tanglewood. He held leadership posts with the Ravinia Festival, Toronto and San Francisco symphonies, and served as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1973 to 2002. Ozawa also founded the Saito Kinen Orchestra and Festival, led the Vienna State Opera, overcame health setbacks, published Absolutely on Music, and received major international honors.