Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa is to take a year off from the podium in order to recover from a recent spell of bad health. The 76-year-old former Vienna State Opera and Boston Symphony Orchestra music director has cancelled all scheduled performances until February 2013, including four concerts in Japan from March 17.

Ozawa was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in 2010 and completed treatment last year. He also underwent surgery for a hernia in 2011, and suffered from a mild case of pneumonia in February this year. Although Ozawa’s doctor confirmed he recovered form that illness quickly, he recommended that the conductor take some time to recover his strength.

'This was an extremely difficult decision for me,' Ozawa said. 'For the next year I will devote myself to rehabilitation and diet therapy to rebuild my physical strength so that I will be able to appear before you, at full strength, to conduct once more.'

Although stepping away from the podium, Ozawa does plan to take part in this summer’s Saito Kinen Festival as general director. The conductor spent nearly three decades at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, from 1973 to 2002, before becoming music director for the Vienna State Opera between 2002 and 2010.