Credits:

Robert Mann

Description:

The CD debut of the Saito Kinen Orchestra conducted by Robert Mann features three works by Mozart, Bartók, and Beethoven, all conducted by Robert Mann (1920- ) with the Saito Kinen Orchestra. In 1961, as a member of the Juilliard String Quartet, Robert Mann was invited by Hideo Saito to teach a master class at Toho Gakuen, and was amazed when he heard the Toho Gakuen Orchestra perform Schoenberg's "Joya Night". Since then, the Tokyo Quartet and others have been under the tutelage of Robert Mann, who became close friends with Hideo Saito, and they have gone on to make their mark on the world stage. It was against this background that the Juilliard String Quartet was invited to perform at the Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto in 1993.After Robert Mann retired in 1997 from the Juilliard String Quartet, where he had been a member for 50 years since 1946, he began to visit the Saito Kinen Festival every year in 1999 to perform chamber music and his own compositions and to educate the next generation. In 2003, Robert Mann made his debut as a conductor, and this CD vividly chronicles his performances as a conductor at the Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto. The Saito Kinen Orchestra conducted by Robert Mann includes some of his former students, and in Bartók's "Divertimento for Strings," Jikako Watanabe (Vn 2), Nobuko Imai (va), and Sadao Harada (vc) take solo parts, giving a deeply moving performance. The orchestra is also in charge of solos, giving moving performances with a deep flavor. This year's (2009) Saito Kinen Festival is drawing much anticipation and attention, as the orchestra A program will be conducted by Robert Mann, who will be 89 years old. ［Comment courtesy of Universal Music/IMS