THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
August 17, 2023 at 16:23 JST
Taijiro Iimori, a highly awarded conductor known for his superb renderings of Wagner’s works, has died, according to his management agency. He was 82.
Iimori passed away on Aug. 15 following acute heart failure, according to the agency. He is survived by his nephew Shintaro.
Mastering a wide repertoire including works from the Classical and Romantic periods, the maestro was particularly known as a specialist of Richard Wagner and Anton Bruckner.
Based in Germany for many years, Iimori had been part of the production team at the Bayreuth Festival, an iconic annual event to celebrate the music of Wagner.
Later, his successful performance of Wagner's Ring Cycle with the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra established him as one of the top interpreters of the German composer in Japan.
Born in northeastern China in 1940, then called Manchukuo, Iimori was a student of the renowned musical teacher Hideo Saito at the Toho Gakuen School of Music.
Saito trained famed conductors including Seiji Ozawa, Kazuyoshi Akiyama and Michiyoshi Inoue.
In his 20s, Iimori won prizes at the famed International Dimitris Mitropoulos Competition for Conductors and the Herbert von Karajan Conducting Competition.
He led renowned orchestras across the country, including the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra and the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2014, he was appointed as the Artistic Director of Opera at the New National Theater, Tokyo.
Iimori was a recipient of prestigious awards including the Suntory Music Award and the Japan Art Academy Prize.
The Japanese government also honored him as a Person of Cultural Merit and awarded him the Medal with Purple Ribbon.
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Conductor Taijiro Iimori (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
