[Conductor] A Japanese conductor. Recommended Japanese conductors.

Symphonic Poem “A Hero’s Life”Odaka Tadaaki

Symphonic Poem 'A Hero's Life' Tadaaki Otaka

This is Tadaaki Otaka, Professor Emeritus of Conducting at the Tokyo University of the Arts Faculty of Music.

The composer and conductor Akitaka Otaka is his father.

He has had a distinguished career, conducting numerous NHK Taiga drama theme songs, serving as a host for NHK music programs, and holding posts as principal conductor of prominent Japanese symphony orchestras.

He has also appeared as a guest conductor with many leading orchestras overseas.

Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral” Second MovementInagaki Masayuki

Masayuki Inagaki / L. v. Beethoven Symphony No. 6, Op. 68 – 2nd Movement; Conducted by Masayuki Inagaki. L. v. Beethoven Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral,” Second Movement.

This is Masayuki Inagaki, a conductor who is currently active with numerous orchestras and wind ensembles, known for his wide-ranging repertoire spanning Baroque, Classical, and contemporary music.

In 2006, he passed the audition for the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra and began his career as a conducting fellow.

Since 2008, he has also been active internationally, being selected for international academies and more.

Kiki’s Delivery Service / New Japan Philharmonic World Dream OrchestraHisaishi Joe

Joe Hisaishi – Kiki's Delivery Service

Joe Hisaishi is a composer, conductor, and pianist who represents contemporary Japan.

He rose to fame in 1984 after composing the score for an animated film directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

Known for a distinctive musical style that fuses classical and contemporary music, he is also influenced by minimalism.

He has received numerous honors, including the Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Music and the Medal with Purple Ribbon.

He began learning violin at the age of four, and joining the wind ensemble in junior high inspired him to pursue a path as a composer.

In addition to film music, he is active as an orchestral conductor, working on reinterpretations of both his own music and classical repertoire.

Continuing to explore the relationship between images and music, Hisaishi’s work is characterized by moving melodies that captivate the hearts of many.

Olympic MarchYamada Kōsaku

Shining Morning Sun — Conducted by Kôsaku Yamada, Columbia Orchestra, Olympic March

When it comes to conductors who can be called the origin of Japanese classical music, Kósaku Yamada stands out.

Yamada is a composer so famous that his works, such as ‘Akatombo’ (Red Dragonfly), appear in music textbooks.

He founded Japan’s first orchestra and played a crucial role in popularizing Western music in Japan.

He was also active internationally, performing his own works at Carnegie Hall in New York, and is said to have been the first Japanese classical musician to gain recognition in Europe and the United States.

Yamada’s ‘Overture in D Major’ is regarded as Japan’s first symphony, so remember it as the starting point of Japanese classical music.

“Kibou” requiem for victims of earthquake in JapanSoga Daisuke

Kibou ~ Requiem for the Victims of the Earthquake on March 11, 2011: Daisuke Soga

Daisuke Soga, who studied double bass at Toho Gakuen School of Music, won first prize at the 43rd Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors in 1993 and has since received awards in various other international conducting competitions.

“Kibou: Requiem for Victims of the Earthquake in Japan” is a piece composed by Soga in memory of those who lost their lives in the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011.

From Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551 “Jupiter”: [Movement IV]Yamada Kazuo

Mozart Symphony No.41 Kazuo Yamada NHKso 4th mov

Kazuo Yamada, a conductor and composer affectionately known as “Yamakazu,” stood alongside figures like Takashi Asahina in supporting Japan’s classical music scene.

As a dedicated conductor with the current NHK Symphony Orchestra, he progressed steadily, and in 1949 he led Japan’s first performance of Mahler’s Symphony No.

8, the “Symphony of a Thousand.” However, in 1951, when Austrian conductor Kurt Wöss was appointed principal conductor, Yamada experienced the hardship of being pushed out of the spotlight.

Symphony No. 5 (Shostakovich) / NHK Symphony OrchestraIwashiro Hiroyuki

Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 in D minor, mov. I, Conductor: Hiroyuki Iwaki

Hiroyuki Iwaki, a conductor and percussionist, studied conducting by visiting the home of Akio Watanabe, a faculty member in conducting at Tokyo University of the Arts, and by attending Hideo Saito’s conducting classes.

As a student, he was so devoted to learning that, although not praiseworthy behavior, he would sneak into concert halls, listen from backstage to see the conductor from the front, or slip into the tiered risers to hear performances.

He served as conductor and music director for many Japan-based orchestras, including inaugural General Music Director of the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, Permanent Conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director of the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, and he also held posts abroad, such as Lifetime Laureate Conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra—making him indispensable in any discussion of Japanese classical conductors.

Known for his zeal in giving world premieres of commissioned works, he was also nicknamed the “premiere demon.”