The New Japan Philharmonic was inaugurated as an independent orchestra in 1972, in response to a proposal by the conductor Seiji Ozawa. Since then, its numerous and varied projects and performances have received universal acclaim and consistently favourable reviews. The orchestra charts its own independent path in selecting the content of these concerts, variously emphasizing vocal performance, musical drama, and modern or contemporary compositions. It has received enthusiastic support from its audiences for presenting complete performances of all the symphonies of Beethoven and Brahms, conducted by the late Takashi Asahina, and also for staging Wagner’s musical drama The Ring of the Nibelung with exclusively Japanese musicians for the first time. In 1998 the orchestra made a concert tour of Russia and gave performances conducted by Seiji Ozawa and Rostropovich in St. Petersburg and Moscow, while in 2002, a series of concerts conducted by Seiji Ozawa was given in Beijing. In 2002 the New Japan Philharmonic commemorated its own thirtieth anniversary by performing all of Beethoven’s symphonies, conducted by Gerhard Bosse. This record of achievement has received high praise in Japan. A key development for the orchestra’s future musical activities was the appointment of the young conductor, Christian Arming as its new music director from September 2003.
