Maestros meet onstage at music festival honoring Seiji Ozawa

MATSUMOTO, Nagano Prefecture–John Williams, the composer behind some of the most memorable film scores in the history of cinema, conducted the Saito Kinen Orchestra on Sept. 2 at the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival (OMF), a music festival being held here through Sept. 6.

It was his first visit to Japan in about 30 years.

For about an hour, Williams, 91, conducted a series of his own compositions, including “Harry Potter” and “Schindler’s List,” which drew a standing ovation from the audience. 

His other works include “E.T.” and “Star Wars.” 

Williams has been a close friend of Seiji Ozawa, 88, director of the festival, since Ozawa was music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the United States.

After the performance, he invited Ozawa, who was in a wheelchair, to join him and held hands. Ozawa remained on the stage to listen to the encore “The Imperial March” from “Star Wars” conducted by Williams.