A compact disc featuring the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra led by Japanese maestro Seiji Ozawa has jumped to No. 2 on Japan's album charts, according to figures compiled earlier this week.

Some 400,000 copies of the "New Year's Concert 2002," recorded in Vienna, have been sent to retailers since its Jan. 19 release.

The recording broke into the top 10 in its debut week, moving up to the No. 9 spot before hitting No. 5 the following week.

"The result has far exceeded our expectations," said Akiko Beppu, an executive at Universal Music Japan, the firm that released the CD.

The CD was released six days earlier than scheduled in an effort to capitalize on the well-received concert at the Viennese Musikverein, which was broadcast live in Japan.

Ozawa, 66, was the first Japanese conductor to lead the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year Concert, first held in 1941.

"The memory of the live concert telecast is still fresh (with record buyers)," Beppu said.

The CD's relatively low price -- 1,980 yen -- has also contributed to its strong sales showing, she said.

Commenting on the CD's success, Ozawa said recently, "I'm really glad to know that the Japanese love music . . . they understand music. It's wonderful."

Chart compiler Oricon Co., based in Tokyo, said the CD is especially popular with middle-aged and elderly women.

"The recorded tracks are mainly light waltz pieces and are easy to listen to, with each track lasting only a few minutes," the firm said.

The 16-track CD contains works by Johann Straus I, Johann Straus II and Joseph Straus, to whom the annual concert is dedicated.

It includes an encore of the "Radetzky March" by Johann Straus I, a work that drew a standing ovation from the audience Jan. 1.

The "Blue Danube" waltz, composed by Johann Strauss II, along with the overture from his comic opera, "Die Fledermaus," are also featured.

Special promotional campaigns are also being held by record stores across Japan in an effort to eclipse the national sales record for a classical CD, currently held by "Karajan: Adagio," a recording featuring the late Austrian maestro Herbert von Karajan.

More than 700,000 copies of "Karajan: Adagio" have been shipped since its release in Japan in 1994.

Late last week, a music store in the Ginza district of Tokyo even invited the Austrian ambassador to Japan to witness the celebrations for the 10,000th CD sold at the store.

The purchaser, a 50-year-old woman from Nara, said, "I enjoy listening to as well as watching Mr. Ozawa conduct."