A review by jjlim1996
Absolutely on Music: Conversations with Seiji Ozawa by Haruki Murakami

5.0

I'm a little like Mr Murakami, in that I am uneducated on music (theory-wise) but I love it, although for me choral music is more familiar than to him. Yet, many of his observations struck me as someone who actually knows music, rather than simply loving music, and in part I feel that is because of his ability and experiences as a writer, with influences from jazz and classical music, which hones his knowledge in nuances, either musically or in writing. It was a simple read, with conversations between him and the esteemed Seiji Ozawa, but within the simple dialogues lay so many beautiful nuggets of wisdom, which came across really smoothly.

This paragraph grabbed my attention, which was Mr Murakami's reaction on a wonderful performance by a student orchestra at the Seiji Ozawa International Academy:
"Seeing (the students) so deeply moved (by their stellar performance), and seeing the audience's feverish reaction, I began to grasp how Ozawa felt pouring his heart and soul into the activities of this academy. Nothing could ever take its place for him. To hand genuine 'good music' on to the next generation; to convey that intense feeling; to stir the hearts of young musicians in such a pure and fundamental manner: these surely gave him a joy that was fully as profound as that to be gained from conducting such world-class orchestras as the Boston Symphony and the Vienna Philharmonic."

Music really goes beyond everything - it is something that we cannot really quantify, but once enjoyed, we always yearn for more.