Symphonies
Kamui-Chikap Symphony (Sym no.1) op.40 (1990)
orchestra (4-3-3-3,6-4-4-1,5perc,pf,cel/synth.strings)..... about 45 min
publisher : ZEN-ON ..... CD : 32CM-190, 30CM-354, CHAN-9838
#Premier : On 26th May 1990 by the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra and again on 2nd June by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, both conducted by Tadaaki Otaka.
1. Ground : that which is created imperfect in form and proliferated.
2. Water : that which gently weaves ancient dreams.
3. Fire : that which rampages and destroys
4. Air : that which is still and thinks of mortal beings
5. Rainbow : that which is holy and spreads colour and light throughout the sky
The symphony consists of five movements, or "bodies". These five bodies parallel tha five cosmic states of Creation, Conservation, Destruction, Enchantment, and Release produced by the dance of the Indian god Shiva. They also parallel the five aspects of the world in Buddhism : earth, water, fire, wind and air. A Word "Kamui-Chikap" means for "God Bird" by Ainu language. This god is the guardian and supreme god of the forest, who gazes upon the lives and deaths of human beings from the highest branches of the trees.
Symphony No.2 "At Terra" op.43 (1991)
orchestra (3-3-3-3,4-3-3-1,5perc,pf,strings) ..... about 32 min
publisher : ZEN-ON ..... CD : 25CM-178/9, CHAN-9438
#Premier : On 22nd May 1991, Tokyo Phiolharmonic Orchestra conducted by Yuzo Toyama.
1. Dirge - from the east. A dirge constructed by accmulation of Asian modes and melodies. There pass by various songs, prayers and dances, with an opening elegy on the cello at the core.
2. Requiem - from the west. A requiem in the European form of a mass for the dead (Introit, Kyrie, Offertorium, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, Libera me).
3. Canticle - from the south. An airy cantabile with African rhythms. Singing 'voices' of 'Alleluia' multiply on thythm cells which are repeated again and again.
The subtitle 'At terra' is a kind of signature, rather like writing 'at Tokyo' at the end of a letter. It is based on my attempt to think about humans and the earth and the fact that I mixed up and put together sound materials from Asia to Africa.
Symphony No.3 op.75 (1998 )
orchestra (4-3-3-3,6-4-3-1,5perc,pf/cel,strings) ..... about 45 min
publisher : CHANDOS/Japan Arts@ASKS ..... CD : CHAN-9737#Premier : On 25th May at the concert of Japan philharmonic orchestra, conducted by Sachio Fujioka.
1. Allegro : A dramatic movement in which the opposing aspects of shadow and light, hope and malice, compassion and savagery mingle and clash.
2. Scherzo : This movement presents a changing kaleidoscope of myriad rhythm fragments like bits of a puzzle, from jazz and rock to African and Asian ethnic music.
3. Adagio : This movement expresses dark Asiatic passion. A dirge spoken primarily by two cellos, it is at the same time a masque that evokes far-off memories, like a revolving lantern in the night.
4. Finale : The elements of the first three movements flow together into a great mass and grand final review. Faint rays of light break through the clouds. Then there is a glorious sunrise, and a celebration of the sun begins.
Symphony No.4 op.82 (2000 )
orchestra (3-2-2-2,4-2-2-1,4perc,pf,strings) ..... about 30 min
publisher : CHANDOS/Japan Arts (rental) ..... CD : CHAN-9960#Premier : On 29th May 2001 in Osaka by the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra, with a conducting Sachio Fujioka.
1.Allegro. like birds, darts among a variety of beats and modes. It is a dream of childhood, featuring animate dolls and other toys in a pastoral setting : a mechanical bird, a wooden marionette, a demure princess, tin soldiers, mice, and more.
2. Waltz. a waltz, distorted at first, steadily picks up rhythm. This movement is a kaleidoscopic scherzo whose second part is interwoven with a chaotic assortment of waltzes by symphonic composers of eras past : Berlioz, Bruckner, Shostakovich, Mahler and Beethoven among others.
3. Adagietto. which begins with the tempo indication Adagietto, is quiet and gentle, with a nostalgic melody and dulcet harmonies in late-romantic style. The piano plays a music-box melody that runs through the development section and into the coda; it is like a faintly recalled memolry of early spring.
4.Allegro molto. a bright Finale in rondo form celebrating spring, races lightly towards the end. Ther is a transition inhabited by birds, the joy of a field in spring, cavorting fhythms, a shining baquet. Finally, the dream recedes and disappears in the distance.
This symphony has a image of children at play in the new century, I regarded the works as much a toy box containing a miscellany of remenbered sound as a symphonic ode to the verdancy of spring. One could call it a "Pastoral Toy Symphony".
Symphony No.5 op.87 (2001)
orchestra (3-3-3-3,6-4-3-1,5perc,pf/cel,strings) ..... about 48 min
publisher : CHANDOS/Japan Arts@ASKS.....CD : CHAN-10070
#Premier : on 6th October in 2001, in occasion to an "personal exhibition of a componist for Takashi Yoshimatsu" by conduct Sachio Fujioka with Tokyo state symphony orchestra.
1.Andante pesante - Allegro molto. A jarring introduction, Andante pesante, with three heterogeneous motifs, is followed by a wild, driving, schizophrenic Allegro molto in which regret and hope become distorted and entangled.
2. Allegretto - Allegro molto. This is a sardonic, dry, demonic scherzo in which a nightmarish apparition wearing a cynical smile has its way over a jazz-style bass line.
3. Andante lamentoso. The slow monement is a lament for the feminine.The music mingles birds' dreams.reminiscences under stardust, and the echoes of a waltz for my deceased younger sister.
4.Andante maestoso - Allegro molto. A fanfare opens the finale with a sence of celebration and the movement then pushes through to the end as delirious dance with a rock beat: Convergence and Sublimation.
This symphony is dedicated to my late father, Masataka Yoshimatsu.
Concertos*
Guitar Concerto "Pegasus Effect" op.21 (1984)
guitar & orchestra (3-0-3-0,2-2-2-0,2perc,cel,strings) .....about 22 min
Ongaku-no-Tomo *BVCC-2524, CHAN-9438
#Premier : on 16th March 1985, Guitar soloist Kazuhito Yamashita,Tokyo Philharmony orchestra conducted by Kazuhiko Komatsu.
1. Bird : Sonata form Allegro, floating the warped Renaisance-style songs and bird songs.
2. Flower : Nostalgic hymn of dreams, with the floating gentle breeze and pale light.
3. Wind : Escape from the labyrinth or presto dedicated to the youths who gallop through the end of the century.
*Bassoon Concerto "Unicorn Circuit" op.36 (1988)
bassoon & orchestra (3-2-2-2,3-2-2-0,3perc,strings) .....about 23 min
Ongaku-no-Tomo(Parts only) *32CM-175, COCO-75632/3,COCO-70507
#Premier : On 26th December 1988, Bassoon soloist Isamu Magome, Kyoto Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Shallon.
1. Autumn input: Allegro in a quasi-sonata form in an entangled, mixed-up style.
2. Winter Bias: Largo in a shape of one dream spreading slowly in the winter air.
3. Spring output: Presto by unicorns devorting themselves to run fast in the spring sky.
A unicorn in the West is called "Kirin" in the East. a divine animal which is said to bring about sign of good luck, equally with a Chinese phoenix, a dragon, a tortoise, etc. It is also possesses invincible aggressiveness together with peerless tenderness. This is the second work for my series of mythological animals which follows the guitar concerto "Pegasus Effect".
*Trombone Concerto "Orion Machine" op.55 (1993)
trombone & orchestra (3-2-2-2,4-3-3-0,pf,hp,4perc,strings) .....about 20 min
CHANDOS/Japan Arts (rental) *30CM-354,CHAN-9960
#Premier : On 15th April 1993,Tromborne solo Yoshiki Hakoyama, Japan philharmonic symphony Orchestra conducted by Yuzo Toyama.
1. Betelgeuse : begins with a great explosion of stellar light ; led by the orchestra, the trombone plays a lyrical Largo.
2. Bellatrix : is a fast movement in big-band-jazz or perhaps brass-rock style, featuring a 5/8-time ten-beat 'engine-room', or motivic kernel.
3. Trapezium : is a dirge and a broken waltz for three stars. Galaxy M42 is located below Orion's belt, so the dirge is in 'MM42 time' (42 beats per minute on the metronome).
4. Saiph : serves chiefly as a crazy cadenza with woodwind and strings in toy-like engagement and with faint suggestions of swing jazz. The second half of the movement leaves the players completely free to improvise.
5. Rigel : the concerto's Finale, springs from a brass fanfare in which the other instruments of the orchestra gradually join, the movement building to a resplendent consonant rainbow.
*Saxophone Concerto "Cyber Bird" op.59 (1994)
saxophone,piano,solo-perc & orchestra (3-2-3-0,3-3-3-0,2perc,strings) .....about 22 min
CHANDOS/Japan Arts@ASKS *TOCE-9152, CHAN-9737
#Premier : On 21st March 1994,Saxophone solo: Nobuya Sugawa, Yomiuri Symphonie orchestra conducted by Masahiko Enkoji.
1. Bird in Colors : Allegro. A somewhat frenzied Allegro in which a bird flies through strata of varying colours.
2. Bird in Grief : An Andante in which a bird's solioquy of sadness is paralleled by birdsong that spins out a dream.
3. Bird in the Wind : A Presto in which a bird flies straight on , into the wind.
"Cyber-bird" indicates an imaginary bird in the realm of electronic cyberspace. It consists of three movements, fast-slow-fast, in which the saxophone, born by the orchestra's wings, takes flight within this imaginary space, flying through a variety of classical, jazz, rock and ethnic scenes to reach its own stratum.
This work was composed from a commission by Nobuya Sugawa. Written for him, his partner, pianist Minako Koyagi, their performance was characterised by a free jazz style having the freshness of improvisational playing. The second movement, an elegy, was written in a hospital when I was up all night with my sister who was on a life-support machine battling with terminal cancer. The last thing she said before she died was 'I would like to be a bird in my next life'. This composition is stamped with the name of her soul.
*Piano Concerto "Memo Flora" op.67 (1997)
piano & orchestra (2-2-2-2,2-2-0-0,1perc,strings)..... about 32 min
CHANDOS/Japan Arts@ASKS*CHAN-9652
#Premier : on 8th February 1998,Piano solo Kyoko TABE,Japan philharmonic orchestra conducted by Sachio Fujioka.
1. Flower - An Allegro in a pseudo-sonata form celebrating flowers blooming queitly in a spring field against a background of shifting colours. As the texture of birds, described by the woodwind draws close by, the piano sweeps through a spring strom and into a blue sky.
2. Petals - A light Andante, like flower petals floating onthe water. A faint song on the quietly flowing water appears and disappears like a dream of long ago.
3. Bloom - The Final , in which spring sppeds away form the spring field, in full bloom. A 4/8 and 5/8 rondo that dashes lightly into the distance.
The words "Memo Flora" were written by the poet Kenji Miyazawa on the cover of a notebook that contained notes for a diagram of the placement of flowers (melody) in a flowerbed (score).
*Fugaku ...7 scenes of The Sacred Mt.Fuji op.88 (2002)
shakuhachi,20-gen & orchestra (3-2-3-2,4-3-3-0,cel,hp,4perc,strings) .....about 20 min
Japan Arts (rental)
#Premier : On 21th February 2002,Shakuhachi solo, Kifu Mitsuhashi, Koto solo, Nanae Yoshimura, Japan philharmonic orchestra conducted by Sachio Fujioka.
1.Introduction
2.Fugaku I (Twilight)
3.Evening glow
4.the wind from the sky
5.Night storm
6.Calm (Cadenza)
7.Fugaku II (Sunrise)
The title name of "Fugaku" in 7 sceans has two meanings. First "Fugaku" means other reverent expression for highest mountain in Japan Mt. Fuji. Second I put another word which has similar pronunciation "Bugaku = japanese ancient (dance) music" and played upon the words. Therefore this peace is a music for (dance) music dedicated to the Mt. Fuji.
*Cello Concerto "Centaurus Unit" op.91 (2003)
cello & orchestra (3-2-3-0,4-3-3-0,pf/cel,hp,3perc,strings) .....about 33 min
CHANDOS/Japan Arts@ASKS *CHAN-10202
#Premier : On 20th October,Kansai philharmonic orchestra at Osaka, and 28th October,Japan philharmonic orchestra at Tokyo. cello solo Peter Dixon, both conducted by Sachio Fujioka.
1.Allegro. that moves forward randomly, reacting to a variety of concepts. As such it represents the epitome of human life. In the midst of a succession of diverse styles, a pastiche of marches, waltzes and elegies, all warped, passes through and fades away.
2.Adagio. begins Adagio with a dark, passionate monologue, played pizzicato in a manner than recalles the sound of Japanese lute (Biwa). Later, however, the movement resolves itself, with faint echoes turning into a soft light that finally spread open thw wings of a gentle dream.
3.Allegro molto. A dream-like Rondo, seeming to dance through fields of spring as it progresses, forms the third and final movement of the concerto. Between short reminiscences ornamented by the birdsong of the flutes, the cello seems to run on and on in the bright sunshine.
"Centaurus Unit", envisioning the upper body of the performong figures as a being that of human (the cellist) and the lower half as a being that brown horse (the cello). The bow and the end-pin of instrument completed the image - in effect, the bow and allow of mythical beast (centaurus).
*Soprano saxophone concerto "Albireo mode" op.93 (2005)
soprano saxophone & orchestra (2-2-2-2,2-2-2-0,pf,hp,3perc,strings) ..... about 22 min
#premier : On 29th April 2005 in Osaka, saxophone solo : Nobuya Sugawa, Kansai philharmonic orchestra conducted by Sachio Fujioka.
1.Topaz
2.Sapphire
Orchestra worksDorian op.9 (1979)
orchestra ....about 10 min
#Premier : On 21st June 1980, Tokyo symphony orchestra conducted by Kazuyoshi Akiyama.
Threnody to Toki op.12 (1980)
string-orchestra & piano .....about 12 min
Ongaku-no-Tomo *25CM-178/9, CHAN-9438, CSCR-8375/7, KICC-2015, DCA-1021 etc
#Premier : On 19th February 1981, Japan symphony orchestra conducted by Kazuo Yamada.
The strings are arranged in two groups on the left and right (wings), the piano in the center (body), the bass at the rear (tail) and the conductor in front, so that it is arranged to make a bird's figure.
"The Toki is an internationally protected bird which inhabits only Japan and parts of China. In 1971, the last remaining Toki on Japan's main island, Honshu, died in captivity on Noto peninsula. It was then that I saw for the first time a picture of the toki traversing the blue sky, a sight so beautiful as to bring tears. Since then I have been haunted by the feeling that somewhere in the heavens the lamenting cry of these ashen-shite birds resounds.
The delicate perishes, and the callous survives - that seems to be a natural law. We glibly explain how that which has beauty as its only attribute dies out in extinction, but can we live in a world without the Toki?
However, the piece is not just a lament for the perishing bird, it is also a hymn of praise for the revival of these beautiful creatures and for the revival of tonality. And perhaps, if man follows the same path of the Toki, there will be someone, somewhere who will lament his disappearance - "Ah, a noble creature has perished ... '
Chikap op.14a (1982/2003)
orchestra (4-2-3-0,4-0-0-0,2perc,cel,hp,strings) about 12 min
CHANDOS/Japan Arts@ASKS *CHAN-10202
"Chikap" means Birds in Ainu, the aboriginal people of Hokkaido. The original work op.14 was written for an orchestra of flutes (2 piccolos, 8 flutes, 2 alto-flutes, 2 bass-flutes,& a contrabass-flute) and premired on 15th February 1981,with the Tokyo Flute Ensemble Academy. Orchestra version was written in 2003 for CD recording.
The Age of Birds op.25 (1986)
orchestra (3-3-3-3,4-3-3-1,4perc,pf/cel,strings) about 18 min
Ongaku-no-Tomo(Parts only) *25CM-178/9 *CHAN-10202
#Premier : On 24th May 1986 Japan philharmonic orchestra,conducted by Michiyoshi Inoue.
1. Sky - "What the sky gives to birds" A cantile for the sky, clouds and birds.
2. Tree - "What a tree narrates to birds". An accumulation of rhythm of foreign birds who pass by.
3. The SUN - "What the sun presents to birds". A feast of birds who fly high toward the sun.
This work is the final work in my "Bird Trilogy",- following "Threnody to Toki" and "Chikap". and is special to me as it was my first orchestral commission. The work could be thought of as a symphony in three movements, adopting the general structural model of "Moderato","Scherzo",and "Finale". It was not born of romanticism or impressionism but a new method of composition (and orchestration) based on the "science of sound" .
With my mind's eye, I see a sky with transparent birds. With sad eyes they quietly look down on the human beings crawling around in an artificial forest below them. This image has led me to continue writing works with birds as their theme. At the same time, it has presented me with the task of searching for new wings with which to fly from the chaotic woods/world of contemporary atonal music.
White Landscapes op.47a (1991/7)
flute,cello,harp & strings ....about 10 min
CHANDOS/Japan Arts@ASKS *CHAN-9652
1.Divination by Snow
2.Stillness in Snow
3.Disappearance by Snow
The original work was for a trio of flute, harp and bassoon (or cello) in 1991. In 1997 it was rearranged for flute, harp cello and string ensemble.Dream colored Mobile II op.58a (1993/8)
solo(ob,cello etc),harp & strings ....about7 min
CHANDOS/Japan Arts@ASKS *CHAN-9652
The original work was for saxophone and string quartet in 1993. In 1997 it was rearranged for a soloist (oboe, violin or cello etc.) ,harp and strings, resulting in Dream colored Mobile II.Ode to Birds and Rainbow op.60 (1994)
orchestra (3-2-2-2,4-2-2-0,2perc,pf,strings) about 18 min
Ongaku-no-Tomo *CHAN-9838
#Premier : On 25th May 1994 Okayama philharmonic orchestra conducted by Yoshikazu Tanaka .
1. Introduction. Largo -Tapestry I. Allegro -
2. Canticle. Andante - Allegro - Moderato - Tempo Primo -
3. Tapestry II. Allegro
The piece is made up of four parts : Introduction, Tapestry I, Canticle, and Tapestry II. The Introduction is short and played by strings alone. The thread of Tapestry I is a single melody,. The core of Canticle is a piano that quietly echoes a sacred song. Tapestry II is the Ode to Birds and Rainbow; itself.Atom Hearts Club Suite I op.70b (1997)
string-orchestra ....about 10 min
CHANDOS/Japan Arts@ASKS *CHAN-9960
1.Allegro molto. progressive-rock-style Allegro in irregular time.
2.Andante. a mysterious Andante in ballad style.
3.Scherzo. a paramour's Scherzo.
4.Finale. rounds the suite off in slapstick boogie-woogie.
The piece originated as the "Atom Hearts Club Qurtet", composed in 1997 under commision from the Morgaua Quartet for a work in the progressive-rock style of the 1970s. In 1999 it was rearranged as a suite for string orchestra.And birds are still... op.72 (1997)
string-orchestra .....about 8 min
CHANDOS/Japan Arts@ASKS *CHAN-9652
Written as a short elegy for a string ensemble, this piece came from an image of birds gathered around a dead comrade.While an angel falls into a doze... op.73 (1998)
string-ensemble & piano .....about 12 min
CHANDOS/Japan Arts@ASKS *CHAN-9652
Homage to a dark hymn heard in a clear silence. It is carried in fragments by the wind, which quietly stirs the gold and silver bells of the spirits (angels).Atom Hearts Club Suite II op.79a (1999)
string-orchestra ....about 12 min
CHANDOS/Japan Arts@ASKS *CHAN-10070
1.Pizzicato Steps
2.Aggressive Rock
3.Brothers Blues
4.Rag Super Light
5.Mr.G Returns
6.Atomic BoogieAnd Birds sing again... op.81 (2000)
2fl,pf,perc & string-orchestra .....about 12 min
Japan Arts (rental)Prelude to the Celebration of Birds op.83 (2000)
orchestra (4-3-3-3,6-4-3-1,5perc,pf,strings) about 10 min
CHANDOS/Japan Arts@ASKS *CHAN-10070
#Premier : On 12nd January 2001, Shinsei symphony orchestra conducted by Pascal Verrot.
This work was commissioned by the Shinsei Symphony orchestra as a prelude to celebrate the arrival of the 21st Century. It is a modest commemorative work, combining a fanfare for the new age with a faint, passing nostalgia for that which now is past.Fanfare 2001 op.84 (2000)
orchestra (3-3-3-3,6-4-3-1,5perc,pf,strings) about 3 min
Japan Arts (rental)
#premier : On 1st January 2001 in Niigata,Tokyo symphony orchestra conducted by Kazuyoshi Akiyama.
The Children's Guide to the Orchestra op.90-2 (2002)
narrator & orchestra (3-3-3-3,4-3-2-1,4perc,hp,pf,Strings) ..... about 7 min
Japan Arts (rental)
#premier : On 30th August 2002, Narrator : Mayumi tanaka, Tokyo philharmonic orchestra conducted by Myung-Whun Chung.
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