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Haruki Murakami (author), Jay Rubin (translator), Absolutely on Music: Conversations with Seiji Ozawa, Alfred A. Knopf, 2016. 352 pgs.

In this book, Haruki Murakami, one of Japan’s most celebrated novelists, steps away from fiction to present a series of conversations with Seiji Ozawa, a legendary figure in classical music. Maestro Ozawa, who passed away in February 2024 at the age of 88, directed symphonies in Toronto, Boston, Vienna, and with his own Saito Kinen Orchestra. Widely hailed in obituaries as the first Japanese conductor to achieve global acclaim, Ozawa’s legacy makes this book a remarkable dialogue between two towering icons of Japanese culture.

Murakami and Ozawa are known for their ability to intertwine a distinctly Japanese aesthetic sensibility with Western cultural traditions. Murakami’s novels often feature rich references to Western music—spanning jazz, classical, and pop—and have drawn comparisons to writers such as Raymond Chandler, Kurt Vonnegut, and Kazuo Ishiguro. Ozawa, on the other hand, mastered European classical music’s techniques and traditions, conducting symphonies and operas written by European composers. Their shared fascination with Western arts mirrors the West’s curiosity about their Japanese identities.

Absolutely on Music is a captivating addition to the genre of conversational books, a format I appreciate for its lively and personal tone. Compared to Murakami’s monumental 1Q84, published around the same period, this book feels far more approachable. Although I was initially unfamiliar with Ozawa’s name, I had hoped the book might explore a broader range of music beyond classical. Nevertheless, its focus on classical music feels entirely fitting, given Ozawa’s remarkable career and legacy.

The conversations unfolded during a challenging period when Ozawa was undergoing cancer treatment. Murakami notes that these dialogues invigorated the maestro, offering him an opportunity to reflect on his achievements while continuing to conduct globally. While this dynamic brought Murakami a sense of satisfaction, it also stirred concern for Ozawa’s health and well-being.

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Ocha and Onigiri with Beethoven
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Both men lived in Boston during the mid-1990s and first became acquainted through Ozawa’s daughter, Seira. At the time, Murakami refrained from discussing music with Ozawa, worried that such conversations might place an additional burden on him. However, this changed in 2010 when Ozawa began cancer treatment, and Murakami discovered that music not only enlivened the maestro but also offered him a way to reflect on his life and find something to look forward to during a difficult time.

As readers of Murakami’s novels will recognize, jazz is his favorite genre. Yet his musical interests extend beyond jazz—he collected classical records as a teenager and attended classical concerts during his travels in Europe. With Murakami’s familiarity with classical music and Ozawa’s extensive career, they decided to collaborate on a book about classical music.

The book is structured around six conversations held between 2010 and 2011, each focusing on classical music and Ozawa’s life. Interludes between the chapters provide a lighter, more reflective touch, often delving into broader musings on music and life. While Murakami avoids discussing his own career—including the widespread publicity surrounding the release of 1Q84—he describes accompanying Ozawa on several overseas projects.

The first conversation took place at Murakami’s home in Kanagawa, west of Tokyo, in November 2010. Murakami structured the conversations to last about three hours each, centred on specific topics. The format is reminiscent of a podcast, with Murakami playing records while the two discuss the music over tea and onigiri rice balls.This charmingly informal setup stands in contrast to the depth and intensity of their conversations. For readers, Murakami has provided a resource link to the music discussed, enabling them to follow along.

^{Alfred A. Knopf’s playlist on Spotify.}

However, one notable drawback of the book is its assumption that readers are already familiar with the figures and pieces discussed. Renowned names such as Leonard Bernstein, Glenn Gould, Herbert von Karajan, and Maurice Peress are mentioned with minimal context, leaving less informed readers to seek clarification from external sources. Interestingly, even Murakami and Ozawa themselves occasionally turned to Wikipedia during their conversations, highlighting the informal nature of their exchanges.

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The Japanese Maestro
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Seiji Ozawa’s life story is a testament to perseverance and talent. Born in Japanese-occupied Manchuria in 1935, he relocated to Japan in 1944. A rugby injury cut short his piano studies, redirecting him to conducting under the mentorship of Hideo Saito. His breakthrough came in 1959 when he won the International Competition of Orchestra Conductors in France. Ozawa’s career flourished as he went on to study under Herbert von Karajan in Berlin and serve as Leonard Bernstein’s assistant conductor at the New York Philharmonic—an extraordinary distinction as the only person to have studied under both maestros.

In 1984, Ozawa, together with fellow conductor Kazuyoshi Akiyama, founded the Saito Kinen (meaning “memorial”) Orchestra to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Hideo Saito’s passing. In 1998, he conducted a global performance of Ode to Joy at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Nagano, where choruses from around the world joined his orchestra in Japan, creating a truly international musical moment.

Despite undergoing treatment, he continued to lead the Saito Kinen Orchestra, crediting his conversations with Murakami for giving him strength. The second and third conversations took place at Murakami’s office in Tokyo in January and February 2011, where Ozawa revealed that living abroad had not been easy for him. His English was poor when he first moved to New York City, forcing him to live in a basement apartment. However, his talent and likeability among the maestros were key to his success, as was, I suspect, his Japanese identity. Putting aside the dark days of the Pacific War, Japan and the West have always shared a mutual fascination, and Ozawa’s mastery of European classical music was met with a positive impression of this Japanese prodigy by the establishment. He was just 26 when he was recruited by Leonard Bernstein.

Certainly, both Murakami and Ozawa were men comfortable navigating Western cities, whether as visitors or residents. They were also tireless workers, rising at four in the morning and working diligently throughout the early hours. Ozawa, however, faced greater challenges, as his role required him to build rapport with people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds throughout the day. As a director, he was responsible for making difficult decisions—allocating salaries, dismissing personnel, and selecting their replacements. While Murakami’s work required him to optimise the worlds and characters he created, Ozawa’s role demanded the optimisation of his orchestra. Eventually, these two world-class artists shared a common lament over how Japan often holds itself back musically—a critique that seemingly extends beyond classical music to include popular cultu Remarkably, Ozawa admitted he had never heard of Utada, a fact that perhaps reflects his detachment from modern trends in Japan, as Murakami subtly observed.

My favourite part of the book is the interlude before the sixth conversation, titled “In a Little Swiss Town.” This section serves as a travelogue where Murakami attended the Seiji Ozawa International Academy Switzerland seminars in June and July 2011. There, he observed Ozawa training a select group of string players alongside legendary American conductor Robert Mann and world-renowned string musicians, including Pamela Frank, Nobuko Imai, and Sadao Harada.

^{Link to the Seiji Ozawa International Academy Switzerland 2011 brochure (PDF)}

A strong interest in classical music might be necessary to fully appreciate the depth of the conversations and interludes in this book, particularly when fragments of the discussed pieces are best experienced by listening along. However, most readers would enjoy the travel prose. Much like an anime about classical music brought to life (Nodame Cantabile comes to mind), Murakami vividly recounts how the residents of Rolle, the venue for the academy, became a front-row audience to the orchestra. Murakami also observed how Ozawa transformed an international cadre of young musicians—who might barely have known one another upon arrival—into a cohesive musical unit. Ozawa skilfully wove small instructions into the composition to shape it into what he envisioned. Murakami concludes that good music requires both magic and spark.

The final conversation took place on a train from Geneva to Paris, with further clarifications made at Ozawa’s apartment in Paris. There, Murakami and Ozawa explored topics such as teaching and how a string quartet can function beautifully as a cohesive orchestra. Once again, they lamented the self-imposed limitations of Japanese artists and the broader cultural industries in Japan. However, I feel they were overly harsh, as there are numerous Japanese artists who have achieved global recognition. The aforementioned Nobuko Imai and Sadao Harada are notable examples, and several pop stars, including Hikaru Utada, attempted to break into the American market during the 2000s.

That said, the 2010s undeniably belonged to South Korea, whose dramas, films, and pop music reached levels of international acclaim that Japan never dreamed of—or perhaps never sought to match. Nonetheless, Japan retains significant cultural strengths. It has grown into one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, even to the point of overtourism—something unimaginable in 2011. Its anime has gone mainstream, tbolstered by the rise of streaming services, and its literary tradition continues to thrive, spearheaded by internationally renowned figures like Haruki Murakami.

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Afterword
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The book concludes with a heartfelt afterword from Ozawa, in which he expresses gratitude to his daughter Seira for introducing him to Haruki Murakami through Murakami’s wife, Yoko. (It is worth noting that Norwegian Wood is believed to be inspired by Haruki and Yoko’s romance at Waseda University.) Seira also suggested the idea of holding recorded conversations with Murakami, which became the foundation of the book. Ozawa extends further thanks to the Murakami couple for their unwavering support during his treatment and concerts, which gave him the opportunity to reflect on his career and accomplishments. This English edition, published in 2016, is an essential read for fans of both Haruki Murakami and classical music, especially those who hold the late Seiji Ozawa in high regard. It is accessible, engaging, and serves as a remarkable dialogue between two masters of their respective crafts.

How to cite: Rustan, Mario. “Two Japanese Men and a Record Player—Haruki Murakami’s Absolutely on Music: Conversations with Seiji Ozawa.” Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, 25 Jan. 2025, chajournal.blog/2025/01/25/absolutely.

Mario Rustan is a writer and reviewer living in Bandung, Indonesia. [All contributions by Mario Rustan.]