Tadaaki Otaka
Tadaaki Otaka has emerged as one of the leading Japanese conductors of his generation. He has held major conducting posts both in Japan and England and has led critically acclaimed performances in both the concert hall and opera house. Otaka's choice in repertory has been broad but has tended to favor composers from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, with Franck, Richard Strauss, Elgar, Prokofiev, and especially Rachmaninov figuring prominently in his programs. Not surprisingly, Otaka has also conducted much Japanese music: works by Toru Takemitsu (including several important premieres, such as the 1986 Gemini), Ifukube, Yamada, and others. Otaka has made numerous recordings for several labels, including Nimbus, Camerata, BIS, and Chandos.
Otaka was born on November 8, 1947, in Kamakura, Japan. His father was composer and conductor Hisatada Otaka and his mother an accomplished pianist. At Toho Gakuen School of Music in Chofu, Tokyo he studied conducting, French horn, composition, and theory. Otaka's most important teacher there was the distinguished music pedagogue Hideo Saito, whose students included Seiji Ozawa.
Following graduation Otaka conducted the Toho Gakuen String Orchestra during a European tour. In 1971 he had further studies with conductor Hans Swarowsky. While still in his twenties Otaka was appointed principal conductor of the Tokyo Philharmonic (1974) and held the post for 17 years, becoming conductor laureate in 1991. During his tenure there he made numerous tours abroad, regularly guest-conducted leading Japanese and European orchestras, and he held other positions concurrently: from 1981-1986 he became chief conductor of the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra and in 1987 was appointed principal conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Otaka's 1985 debut in the U.S. took place in New York with the American Symphony Orchestra, and his operatic debut in England was in 1991 at the Welsh National Opera, where he led an acclaimed performance of Strauss' Salome. From 1992-1998 he served as principal conductor of Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra. In 1997 Otaka was cited for his many contributions to cultural life in England when he was awarded a CBE (Commander of the British Empire). In 1995 Otaka founded the Kioi Sinfonietta Tokyo. His recordings include the 2005 CD of Glazunov's Symphonies No. 5 and No. 7 on BIS, part of a cycle of the complete symphonies. In 2010, Otaka was named prinicpal conductor of the NHK Symphony and artistic director of Tokyo's New National Theatre.
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Discography
17 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2
Nelson Goerner, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tadaaki Otaka
Classical - Released by Alpha Classics on Mar 23, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mso Live: Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 and Piano Concerto No. 2
Tadaaki Otaka, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Garrick Ohlsson
Classical - Released by ABC Classic on Jul 19, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Franck: Psyche & Le Chasseur Maudit
Tadaaki Otaka, BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, BBC National Chorus of Wales
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on Feb 1, 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: Symphony No.3 - Pomp And Circumstances March No.6
Classical - Released by Signum Records on Mar 31, 2008
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Takemitsu: Flock Descends Into the Pentagonal Garden (A)
Paul Watkins, BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka
Classical - Released by BIS on Jul 31, 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Takemitsu: String Around Autumn (A) / I Hear the Water Dreaming / A Way A Lone Ii
Sharon Bezaly, Philip Dukes, Noriko Ogawa, BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka
Classical - Released by BIS on Sep 1, 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: Symphony No. 1
BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka
Classical - Released by BIS on Jun 30, 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Otaka: Fantasy for Organ & Orchestra - Takemitsu: Nami no Bon - Hosokawa: Memory of the Sea
Tadaaki Otaka, Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, Ashley Bryan
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on Jan 1, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Glazunov: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 7
BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka
Classical - Released by BIS on Jun 1, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36 (Live)
Audience, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tadaaki Otaka
Classical - Released by Naxos Japan on Sep 1, 2014
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Glazunov: Symphony No. 3, Op. 33 / Ballade, Op. 78
BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka
Classical - Released by BIS on Nov 1, 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gubaidulina: Pro Et Contra / Firsova: Cassandra
BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka
Classical - Released by BIS on May 31, 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Glazunov: Symphony No. 2 / Mazurka / From Darkness To Light
BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka
Classical - Released by BIS on Feb 1, 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Glazunov: Symphony No. 1 in E Major, Op. 5 / Symphony No. 6 in C Minor, Op. 58
BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka
Classical - Released by BIS on Apr 1, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Glazunov: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 8
BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka
Classical - Released by BIS on Oct 1, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lutoslawski: Symphony No. 3 / Chantefleurs Et Chantefables
Classical - Released by BIS on Jan 1, 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schnittke: Symphonies Nos. 6 and 7
BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka
Classical - Released by BIS on Feb 28, 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo