Greetings from Tokyo, my last email message to you all before I see you in San Luis Obispo. I've been in the Far East for almost two weeks, conducting the Seoul Philharmonic and now, the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra, Tokyo's finest, in the famed Suntory Hall.
 
Some of you may know that my cultural heritage embraces both these countries (my mother is Japanese and my father, Korean) and my family has joined me here to reunite with many, many relatives who have come out to support my concerts in both these 'world' cities. Like many immigrants of their time, my parents encouraged our complete assimilation language-wise, so neither I nor my brother know any Korean or Japanese. Therefore, it is a godsend I have an interpreter here to help me around these vibrant bustling metropolises and assist in the orchestra rehearsals. 
 
An old friend, cellist Jian Wang - a superstar in Asia - was the soloist in Dvorak's Cello Concerto with the Seoul Philharmonic. His incredibly luxurious sound is something not to be missed if you have the opportunity to hear him. Also, one of my best and oldest friends was there - David Kim, the concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra. We had a great time gorging ourselves on Korean food, one of my favorite cuisines, throughout the trip. (If anyone knows of a great Korean place in San Luis Obispo, please let me know, or, please someone, open one!)
 
Immediately after the concert in Seoul, I took the two-hour flight to the immense; intimidating concrete jungle of Tokyo. Even as a New Yorker, it is difficult to adjust to the sheer size of the city, and I felt constantly disoriented, since I don't read kanji or any non-western characters. Before I stepped on to the podium for rehearsals with the orchestra, the Managing Director of the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra told me that Kurt Masur, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Sylvain Cambreling, Osmo Vanska, Zubin Mehta, and Stanislaw Skrowaczewski were the latest non-Japanese to conduct the orchestra - an international pantheon of great Maestros - and that I was the "next in line." Talk about intimidating! 
 
The Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra is the only orchestra in the world operated by a newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun. The newspaper covers its cultural bases (and my twin passions: music and baseball), also running the Yomiuri Giants baseball team. This is orchestra is without question one of the very best I have ever heard or conducted - they are absolutely responsive to any movement of my hands, however subtle (or unintentional!) - a must, since language prevents us from communicating verbally. We have done two concerts, which have been sold out for months, and I can see why people flock to hear this amazing group of musicians.
 
The piano soloist for Rachmaninoff's second concerto is Dejan Lazic, a young Croat, whom I hope to introduce to the Central Coast soon. His playing is so silky smooth, it is reminiscent of Rachmaninoff himself, and he will undoubtedly be a huge name in the larger classical music world very soon.
 
When not in rehearsal, I am taking in Japan's famous consumer culture - shopping at Takashimaya (the Tokyo version of Macy's) and Tokyo Hands - essentially a 10-story version of the Sharper Image, except not bankrupt and even weirder. Among the items I picked up were erasers shaped like sushi and a honeycomb mask that one puts on one's nose on an airplane to "humidify" one's sinuses. I'll find out if this actually works on my trip home.
 
I'm eating so many memorable meals in Tokyo: at Seryna, a spectacular Japanese restaurant on the 52nd floor of the Sumitomo bank building in Shinjuku, I had "shabu-shabu," which is a Japanese steak, sliced paper thin, that one cooks in boiling water. About a half a McDonald's hamburger worth of beef was about $180 - for one! I left still hungry that night. There are so many amusing noodle restaurants, where no one in the place would handle money, so I had to buy a ticket and hand the ticket to the cooks - they would then cook what was on the ticket. I couldn't read the menu, so I ended up pushing buttons at random and lived with the result. And at the pinnacle of Japanese haute cuisine is the 'kaiseki' meal - the highest form of Japanese culinary expression. It is a delicate balance of taste, texture, color and form. Like a great piece of music, a truly great kaiseki meal lingers in the imagination always. I shared a great one here with my family.
 
The next time I pick up a baton to work with an orchestra of this caliber, I will be with you in San Luis Obispo, leading the Festival Orchestra. We are particularly excited about our Grand Finale Festival Orchestra concert, featuring three works that will transport you to idyllic and beautiful places. John Novacek, who is joining us as a soloist with the orchestra this year, puts out a powerful Grieg Concerto, not to be missed. Listen to my favorite recordings of these pieces and then get the real experience that no recording can duplicate - live music - with us this summer.

See you all very soon!  
 


Scott Yoo