Born in Japan, Eiji Oue began his musical life as a pianist before moving from stage to podium, and since 2003, he has held the position of Principal Conductor of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra in Japan. Between 1991 and 1995, Eiji Oue was Music Director of Pennsylvania’s Erie Philharmonic Orchestra and from 1995 to 2002 he served as Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra. From 1998 to 2009 he was Music Director of the NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Hannover (where he is now Conductor Laureate), and from 2006 to 2010 he was Music Director of the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (Barcelona Symphony Orchestra). Alongside these posts, he served as Music Director of the Grand Teton Music Festival in Wyoming from 1997 to 2003, and his summer engagements in the US have included appearances at the Ravinia, Tanglewood, Grand Park, Wolf Trap, Round Top and Midland music festivals.

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"This was a performance of intense expressivity, yet also rigorous control."

José Luis Vidal, El Mundo Cataluña

"The conductor, Eiji Oue, kept musical passions running high. [...] This is the raciest Tristan I have heard – flexibly shaped without losing the music’s contour, ever-sensitive to voices, never hot-headed."

Financial Times, Andrew Clark

"The Japanese maestro conducted with powerful gestures, producing an extrovert and theatrical sound, realising the score with a concentrated dedication and achieving a proportionate success. The orchestra responded with enthusiasm and efficiency to the directions of an ecstatic Oue, who tastefully unveiled this musical fresco, without a score."

Pablo Meléndez-Haddad, ABC Cataluña

"Japanese conductor Eiji Oue [...] conducted the extensive and complex Mahlerian score from memory with grand yet supple gesturing, his interpretation reaching peaks of sovereign intensity."

Antonio Iglesias, ABC Cataluña

"The big surprise however was not so much the twentieth century compositions, but the forceful, original and extraordinary interpretation Oue gave Tchaikovsky's Pathetique. With great refinement and an unprecedented security, Eiji Oue raised this performance far beyond the mere routine. The man has ideas, worked them through well with the orchestra and the result was amazing. In some moments of lyricism, Oue was reminiscent of Celibidache and his obsession with slow tempi to heighten the intimacy of the music. He approached the threshold of sound with maximum clarity and moments of great power, and did not gloss over the details. Rarely has the Philharmonic sounded as vigorous and as accurate as in the third movement. The tremendous ovation that followed it was in no way down to an audience unaware of concert conventions, but a truly spontaneous response to the overwhelming power of the music which is rarely as well served as this."

Pablo Kohan, La Nacion