Conductors: The Anguish of Being Young & Thin & Japanese

From the steep stone bleachers of Manhattan's Lewisohn Stadium, the skinny conductor who walked onto the outdoor stage last week seemed miles away. But once he began conducting, Seiji Ozawa caught every eye. As exhilarating as the final accelerando of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony were the dancelike body movements with which Ozawa conducted it. His expressive left hand seemed everywhere, searching out the lyrical underpinnings of Borodin's Second. He found them, and New York critics unanimously agreed that musically little Seiji was a giant in the making.

Ozawa, 27, is already a conductor...

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