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Mito Chamber Orchestra (MCO) 57th Regular Concert
Conductor: Jun Märkl



Striding Steadily Along a Brilliant Career Path

New stars in the musical world do not necessarily have to be odd or individualistic. Rather than creating controversy through firework-like movements, words, or actions, Jun Märkl is the type of musician who painstakingly selects his musical vocabulary one by one, letting each "word" impress itself upon the hearts of the audience who strain to listen. Having trained or worked with such luminaries as Celibidache, Ozawa and Bernstein, Märkl has steadily built upon those encounters in his progress along a brilliant career, directing at opera houses around Germany and elsewhere. Having won the fervent acclaim of musical connoisseurs, Märkl is now beginning to capture the hearts of listeners around the world.

For his upcoming appearance with the Mito Chamber Orchestra (MCO) - the first time the two have worked together - Märkl has planned a musical program of works by German and Austrian composers, allowing the audience to enjoy the full measure of his specialty. Besides that genre, however, Märkl has added a piece by the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu, giving us an inkling of his brilliant sensitivity as a contemporary artist, as well as his affection for Japan. Let's welcome Jun Märkl with generous applause in his first appearance with MCO, as he steadily treads the path toward worldwide fame!


June 26, 2004 (Sat) 6:30 p.m. (seating begins at 6:00 p.m.)
June 27, 2004 (Sun) 2:00 p.m. (seating begins at 1:30 p.m.)
All seats reserved. Tickets already on sale.
S ¥8,000 A ¥6,500 B ¥4,500

Wagner: Siegfried Idyll
Haydn: Symphony #101 in D Major, Hob. I-101, "Clock"
Takemitsu: "Ame zo furu"
Schoenberg: Verklaerte Nacht #4i1943 versionj



Jun Märkl

Born in 1959 in Munich, Germany, to a German violinist (Josef Märkl) and a Japanese pianist (Ushio Katayama), Märkl acquired degrees in violin, piano and conducting from the Hanover College for Music and Theatre. From 1979 to 1981, he studied under the Rumanian conductor, Sergiu Celibidache (1912-1996). In 1986, he won the grand prize in the German Music Council conductor competition. Later, he further perfected his craft at Tanglewood, Massachusetts (USA), having received a scholarship from the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

In 1993, Märkl made his directorial debut at the Vienna State Opera, leading Puccini's "Tosca," and has since contracted with opera houses in Vienna, Berlin and Munich, among others. So far, he has served as the general music director at Saarbrucken (Germany), as well as the general music director and artistic director at the Mannheim National Theatre. Märkl has appeared as a guest director with many orchestras, including the Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) in Germany, the Orchestre de ParisAthe Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the U.S., and so forth.

In 1997, he made his Japanese debut, conducting the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo, in a special concert, and has been invited by that orchestra thereafter in its regular season almost yearly. From 2001 to the present, he has directed Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" at the New National Theatre, Tokyo, to rave reviews. In September 2005, he is scheduled to assume the post of general music director at the Orchestre National de Lyon in France.


Mito Chamber Orchestra (MCO) 58th Regular Concert
Conductor: Seiji Ozawa



The Maestro Continues His Challenge
The word "maestro" does not necessarily signify "mellowness" or "refinement." Instead, Seiji Ozawa is the type of maestro who does not feel comfortable merely resting on his laurels, but prefers to venture boldly into new, unexplored realms, continually embarking on new challenges. Currently he serves as the general music director of the Vienna State Opera, perhaps the pinnacle of all musical stages worldwide. Each performance that the VSO produces is watched closely and talked about widely, and is the result of Ozawa's relentless spirit of challenge. He brings the same energetic posture to his direction of performances by the Mito Chamber Orchestra.

The 58th Regular Concert of MCO is Ozawa's first appearance at Mito in almost a year and a half, and features a surprisingly bold combination of 20th century music (Bartok's Music for Orchestra, Percussion, and Celesta) with 18th century works by Mozart. However, his preparation for the concert has left no base untouched, with the talented members of the MCO united by a feeling of deep trust, along with brilliant guest musicians, including the young horn player Radek Baborak, a new star on the global musical scene. With Ozawa's magical direction inspiring the ensemble players and solo artists to musical heights, the only thing left is for us listeners to be lost in a musical reverie in July's concerts.


July 7, 2004 (Wed) 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:00 p.m.)
July 8, 2004 (Thu) 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:00 p.m.)
July 9, 2004 (Fri) 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:00 p.m.)
All seats reserved.
S ¥13,000 A ¥11,000 B ¥8,000 Sorry, sold out.

Bartok: Music for Orchestra, Percussion, and Celesta, Sz. 106
Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante in E flat Major, K. Anh. 9 (297B) (Levinerestoration)
* Flute: Shigenori Kudo
* Oboe: Fumiaki Miyamoto
* Bassoon: Dag Jensen
* Horn: Radek Baborak
Mozart: Symphony #40 in G minor, K. 550



Seiji Ozawa

Born in 1935 in the city of Hoten (now Shenyang) in colonial Manchuria,
Ozawa took piano lessons from an early age, and later studied conducting under the famed Hideo Saito at the Toho Gakuen School of Music. In 1959, he won the Grand Prix at the Besancon International Competition for Young Conductors in France. In the 1961-62 season, he served as the assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under the legendary Leonard Bernstein. From there he moved around North America, having been appointed the general music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. For almost three decades, then, between 1973 and 2002, Ozawa served as the general music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

In 2002, he moved to Europe, assuming the post of general music director of the Vienna State Opera. Meanwhile, he has continued his career frequently directing major orchestras around the world in a guest capacity, including the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, just to name a few. In recent years, he has been broadened the range of his activity, engaged actively in directing operas, while also leading the Saito Kinen Orchestra at music festivals in Europe, Japan, and other countries.

Ozawa serves as a musical adviser to the Mito Chamber Orchestra (MCO), deeply involving himself in the selection of its musical program and member musicians.




Radek Baborak

Born in 1976, in the city of Pardubice in the Czech Republic, Radek Baborak began his horn studies with Prof. Karol Krenek when he was eight years old. From 1989 to 1994 he studied with Prof. Bedrich Tylsar at the Prague Musical Conservatory. In 1988, at age 12, he won the first prize in the Czech Competition of Interpretation of Contemporary Music. In 1992, he placed third in the Prague Spring musical competition, and a year later won second prize (no first prize awarded) at the Geneva International Music Competition. In 1994, at age 18, Baborak won the grand prize at the Munich International Competition.

Meanwhile. Baborak has gained extensive experience performing worldwide, having served as horn soloist for the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. He has put in guest appearances with other orchestras around the world as well, notably the Saito Kinen Orchestra. Starting in 2003, he has played solo horn for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Baborak has played at Mito once already, in March 2002, as a member of the Afflatus Quintet Prague. He has also recorded for several radio stations, appeared in several TV broadcasts in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Japan and the Czech Republic, and played in music festivals around the world.

Baborak's outstanding technique - mature beyond his relative youth of 28 - has enraptured audiences around the world. His repertory comprises the complete horn works (virtuoso baroque and classic concertos, as well as major romantic and contemporary works). He is also a keen chamber musician, and loves to perform recitals of works by Beethoven, Danzi, Dukas, Bozza, Hindemith, Barboteu, et al.



Mito Chamber Orchestra is greatfully supported by substantial contributions from Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Supported by: Zaidanhojin Genden Fureai Ibaraki Zaidan (Japan Atomic Power Co. Ibaraki Foundation), Suntory Ltd., Point Inc., YOSHIDA OIL CO.,LTD.

Cooperation: All Nippon Airways (ANA) , Mito Chamber of Commerce & Industry


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