Saito Kinen Orchestra & Nodoka Okisawa - Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 / Strauss: Don Juan (Live at Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival / 2024) (2024) [Hi-Res]

2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the Saito Kinen Orchestra, and is commemorated with the release of this live recording of the orchestra conducted by Nodoka Okisawa at the 2024 Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival.

Nodoka Okisawa, appointed by Director Seiji Ozawa as the first Principal Guest Conductor in the festival’s history, leads SKO in performances of Brahms’ Symphonies No. 1 and 2. For SKO, Brahms’ symphonies are a core part of their repertoire, having been performed in their entirety during the orchestra’s early international tours and shaping their artistic direction in their formative years. This summer’s debut performance of Okisawa as Principal Guest Conductor featured these Brahms symphonies and was met with great acclaim. The main feature of this release is the live recording from this highly lauded concert, coupled with R. Strauss' "Don Juan", symphonic poem.

Seiji Ozawa and the SKO have an extensive recording history, highlighted by the 2016 release of Ravel L'enfant et les sortilèges by Decca Classics, which won the 58th Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. The most recent release by the Saito Kinen Orchestra was a live recording of the Deutsche Grammophon 125th Anniversary Special Gala Concert, conducted by Ozawa’s long time friend, conductor and composer John Williams, which was released in May 2024 by Deutsche Grammophon.