World mourns loss of ‘magician’ Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa

Japan and the rest of the world reacted with an outpouring of grief and tributes after the death of famed Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa was announced Friday, with some recalling his passionate and beloved character and others hailing him as a “magician of classical music.”

The Boston Symphony Orchestra said in a statement that it remembers Ozawa, who served as its music director for 29 years until 2002, “not only as a legendary conductor but also as a passionate mentor for future generations of musicians.”

Under its longest-serving conductor, the symphony “entered a global era, through a renewed commitment to commissions and contemporary music, a prolific number of recordings, radio and television appearances, and history-making tours,” it said.