Ozawa Gigs Canceled

Just one week after it was announced that conductor Seiji Ozawa would be taking his Saito Kinen Festival to China in September, the gigs were canceled.

In the midst of presenting the festival in its hometown of Matsumoto in central Japan, Ozawa had to back out because of pneumonia.

His stint was covered by another conductor, Pierre Vallet.

At the time, news reports didn’t hint at anything particularly ominous, though Ozawa’s health has been precarious for the past 18 months after he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

However, now the organizers of the festival have canceled the China performances, saying that Ozawa has entered the hospital and will undergo tests.