Interview with Conductor Kazuyoshi Akiyama at the 741st Tokyo Subscription Concert
Interview with the conductor of the 741nd Tokyo Regular Concert!
Interviewer: Yuichi Iwano
Maestro Kazuyoshi Akiyama will be making his first regular appearance in Tokyo with the Japan Philharmonic in 50 years! The ultimate French professional
- For the maestro, this will be his first appearance at the Japan Philharmonic's Tokyo regular concert in 50 years, but he performed Beethoven at the Saitama regular concert a few years ago, and he knows many of the members well, including Masaaki Tanokura, who was the concertmaster when Akiyama was music director of the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, so he will approach rehearsals as usual, says Akiyama.
I decided to do French music this time after consulting with the orchestra, but since we already have Lazarev for Russian pieces and Inkinen for Beethoven and Sibelius, we decided to go all out and do an all-French piece. I've loved Debussy and Ravel since I was a child, listening to them on SP records.
The second suite from Daphnis and Chloe is a piece that I have a special attachment to, as I conducted it at a special concert when I made my debut with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in 1964. On that occasion, the orchestra's director at the time, Kanzaburo Hashimoto, said to me, "You can play any piece you like," and the program consisted of Brahms' Symphony No. 2 in the first half, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto performed by Masuko Ushiota in the second half, and Daphnis at the end.
The reason I chose Daphnis at this time is that in 1962, when I was still a student at Toho Gakuen, the French maestro Charles Munch came to the Japan Philharmonic and I was able to watch a rehearsal at Fuji Television's studio. Stage manager Takao Miyazaki, nicknamed "Ma-chan," let me into the locker room next to the studio, and said, "You can get a good view from here," so I peered through a gap in the lockers (laughs). When Munch began to wave his baton, I was astonished to hear the sound of his long baton bending and cutting through the air. Munch was performing Daphnis with the Japan Philharmonic at the time, and just before that, my senior colleague, Ozawa, had also performed Daphnis with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, so I had always wanted to conduct it myself.
Shortly after my debut with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, André Cluytens and the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra came to Japan to perform Daphnis, and I was blown away by this. It was a performance from before orchestras developed an international sound, and they used traditional French instruments to create a unique sound, but Ravel's music sounded as if it were in its natural color.
-As soon as Akiyama graduated from Toho Gakuen College of Music and became the conductor of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in 1964, the orchestra's management collapsed and conductor Hashimoto took his own life, and Akiyama walked a difficult path with the orchestra, which was now self-managed.
At the time, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra was really short on money, so I conducted most of the performances by myself, but I was still young and they told me, "The conductor's salary will come later!" At that time, the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra allowed me to conduct regular concerts many times, and they helped me a lot (laughs). It's hard to imagine now, but there was a time when I conducted the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in the same month.
According to records from that time, Akiyama appeared in nine regular concerts with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra between 1969 and 72, showcasing a diverse repertoire. Prior to that, in 1966, he was also involved as assistant conductor when Seiji Ozawa performed Honegger's oratorio "Joan of Arc at the Stake." Looking at the concert records, we had a lively exchange of memories.
For Joan of Arc, Ozawa-san was overseas and could only rehearse the day before, so I rehearsed everything for him. When he arrived at the venue, he said, "Akiyama-kun, let me hear the whole thing," so we played it all through and he said, "That's good," and I was relieved when the stage director, Asari Keita, suddenly yelled, "No, no!" I guess this was just one of Asari's first-rate bluffs, trying to build tension in this way.
I have had the opportunity to perform with many different soloists. It's wonderful that pianist Mitsuko Uchida, cellist Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, and violinist Teiko Maebashi are all still active at the forefront of their fields. I also performed Brahms with Christian Ferras, who played Berg, at the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra. I have fond memories of flute player Gazzerloni.
At the time, the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra had many players who were my former students at Toho Gakuen, such as flute player Soichi Minegishi, oboe player Seizo Suzuki, and timpanist Koichi Yamaguchi, and while I felt a sense of closeness with them, I was also a little intimidated. These teachers later moved on to the New Japan Philharmonic, but the year before the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra split, at the end of 1971, the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra's union went on strike during a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. I was actually scheduled to conduct the concert that was canceled at that time.
-Japan Philharmonic Orchestra Chairman Hirai was also present at the interview and, on behalf of the orchestra, expressed his heartfelt gratitude for this guest appearance, the first in 50 years.
It's been 50 years since then. It feels like it was all a function of the times. Professor Akio Watanabe, who worked with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, became the first music director of the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra in the early 80s, which paved the way for the orchestra to take great strides. I have since developed a deep connection with the orchestra (I served as its chief conductor and music director, and am now its honorary lifetime conductor).
Whether it's the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra or the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, continuing to operate as an orchestra in Japan involves great challenges, but our mission is to deliver good performances to our audiences and make them happy, and we consider it a joy for us as well.
I look forward to making great music together with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.
(May 30, 2022, in Tokyo)
<Performance information>
741st Tokyo Regular Concert Suntory Hall
Performances start at 19:00 on Friday, June 17, 2022 and 14:00 on Saturday, June 18, 2022
*There will be a pre-talk by Iwano Yuichi from 13:30pm on Saturday!
Conductor: Kazuyoshi Akiyama Piano: Noriko Ogawa
Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
Fauré: Suite "Pelléas and Mélisande" op.80
Prelude, The Spinner, Sicilienne, and the Death of Melisande
Ravel: Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 2
https://japanphil.or.jp/japanphil_wp/concert/24687
*Live broadcast and archive streaming available on June 18th
https://members.tvuch.com/
<Kazuyoshi Akiyama = Japan Philharmonic Regular Concert Performance Record>
119th Tokyo Regular Concert April 20, 1966 Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Conductor: Seiji Ozawa Kazuyoshi Akiyama (deputy conductor)
Jeanne: Akiko Saito, Friar Dominique: Hiroshi Mizushima, Saint Mary: Fumiko Abe
Margaret: Mieko Takizawa Catherine: Toshiko Toda
Keita Asari (stage)
Choir: Nikikai Choir, Tokyo Philharmonic Choir, Victor Boys' Choir
Honegger: Oratorio "Joan of Arc at the Stake"
179th Tokyo Regular Concert April 22, 1969 Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Conductor: Kazuyoshi Akiyama Piano: Kenichi Ara
Haydn: Symphony No. 88 in G major, Hob.I:88
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op.15
Respighi: Symphonic poem "The Festivals of Rome"
195th Tokyo Regular Concert April 26, 1970 Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Conductor: Kazuyoshi Akiyama Piano: Mitsuko Uchida
Beethoven: Overture, No. 8 (Allegro con brio), No. 16 (Finale/Allegretto) from the ballet "The Creatures of Prometheus", Op. 43
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op.58
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op.93
198th Tokyo Regular Concert April 10, 1970 Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Conductor: Kazuyoshi Akiyama Horn: Masahiro Tanaka
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56 "Scottish"
R. Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, Op.11
Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphoses on a Theme by Weber
210th Tokyo Regular Concert December 19, 1970 Hibiya Public Hall
Conductor: Kazuyoshi Akiyama Cello: Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi
Barber: Overture "School of Abuse" Op.5
Stravinsky: Ballet Music "Playing Cards"
Lyadov: Symphonic poem "Kikimora" op.63
Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.85
218th Tokyo Regular Concert December 14, 1971 Hibiya Public Hall
Conductor: Kazuyoshi Akiyama Violin: Christian Ferras Organ: Reiko Shimada
Debussy: "Iberia" from Images for Orchestra
Berg: Violin Concerto "In Memory of an Angel"
Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78 (with organ)
219th Tokyo Regular Concert December 27, 1971 Hibiya Public Hall
Conductor: Kazuyoshi Akiyama Piano: Lily Krauss
JC Bach: Sinfonia in B flat major, Op.18-2
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466
R. Strauss: Symphonic poem "Ein Heldenleben" op.40
227th Tokyo Regular Concert April 29, 1971 Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Conductor: Kazuyoshi Akiyama Flute: Severino Gazzerloni
Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta Sz.106
Tartini: Flute Concerto in G major
Petrassi: Flute Concerto
Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op.39
228th Tokyo Regular Concert April 12, 1971 Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Conductor: Kazuyoshi Akiyama Piano: Mischa Dichter
R. Strauss: Symphonic poem "Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks" Op.28
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op.73 "Emperor"
Akio Yashiro: Symphony (First in the Japan Philharmonic Series)
239th Tokyo Regular Concert April 24, 1972 Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Conductor: Kazuyoshi Akiyama Violin: Teiko Maebashi Chorus: Tokyo Philharmonic Chorus
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme of Tallis
Stravinsky: Violin Concerto in D
Holst: Suite "The Planets", Op.32
86th Saitama Regular Concert November 7, 2014 Sonic City
Conductor: Kazuyoshi Akiyama Piano: Michie Koyama
Weber: Oberon Overture
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
