Kazuyoshi Akiyama, the renowned Japanese conductor, passed away last Sunday, January 26. He was 84.
Akiyama made his debut with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in 1964. The collaboration was so successful that, within two months, he was given the dual posts of music director and permanent conductor.
He went on to serve as assistant conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (1968-1969), and music director of the American Symphony Orchestra (1973-1978). His reputation led to engagements with the most prestigious orchestras of Europe and America, including the Royal Philharmonic, Cologne Broadcast Symphony, the Bayerischer Rundfunk, the San Francisco Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, and the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras.
From 1972 until 1985, Kazuyoshi Akiyama, served as music director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, later accepting the title of Conductor Laureate. He is remembered as one of the most important and formative music directors in the ensemble’s history, and “a figure who led it through a period of growth and acclaim.” (Stir) He was music director of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra from 1985 until 1993.
My first performances as a professional orchestral violinist were with Kazuyoshi Akiyama and the Syracuse Symphony. The program included Carl Orff’s 25-movement cantata, Carmina Burana. A calm and authoritative elder statesman, Akiyama was a beloved figure. In my first moments onstage before the first rehearsal, where I performed as substitute/extra musician, I was greeted by members of the first violin section who assured me that “some weeks are more fun than others, and this will be a good week.”
Here are a four of Kazuyoshi Akiyama’s performances:
Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier Suite, Op. 59
This October 29, 1991 tour performance with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra took place at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York. As an encore, the orchestra played the Aria from Bach’s Orchestral Suite No.3 BWV 1068.
Holst: The Planets, Op. 32
This is a 1979 broadcast performance with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra:
Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68
This more recent 2012 performance features Japan’s Kyushu Symphony Orchestra:
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15
The great Martha Argerich joined Akiyama and the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra for this 2015 performance:
Recordings
- Kazuyoshi Akiyama’s discography