Absolutely on music : conversations
(Book)

Translated from the Japanese.

Originally published in Japan as Ozawa Seiji-san to, ongaku ni tsuite hanashi o suru by Shinchosa, Tokyo, in 2011.

An intimate conversation about music and writing illuminates the perspectives and shared interests of the internationally acclaimed author of "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage" and his close friend, the former conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Internationally acclaimed, best-selling author Haruki Murakami sits down with his friend Seiji Ozawa, the former conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, for a series of conversations on their shared passion: music. Over the course of two years, Murakami and Ozawa discuss everything from Brahms to Beethoven, from Leonard Bernstein to Glenn Gould, from Bartok to Mahler, and from popup orchestras to opera. They listen to and dissect recordings of some of their favorite performances, and Murakami questions Ozawa about his career conducting orchestras around the world. Culminating in Murakami's ten-day visit to the banks of Lake Geneva to observe Ozawa's retreat for young musicians, the book is interspersed with ruminations on record collecting, jazz clubs, orchestra halls, film scores, and much more. A deep reflection on the essential nature of both music and writing, this book is an unprecedented glimpse into the minds of two maestros.--F rom dust jacket.