Japanese Composers

Started by vandermolen, February 23, 2008, 12:32:40 AM

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SymphonicAddict

Quote from: vandermolen on August 13, 2019, 11:24:27 PM
This sounds most interesting Cesar and right up my street. I do have a CD of his music on Naxos with the 'Ellora Symphony' but can't remember anything about it. Clearly I need to revisit that disc and search out Prima Sinfonia which, having sampled the first few minutes, sounds great. 'Epic struggle' sounds good to me. I may have asked you before but do you know Moroi's Third Symphony which is my favourite CD in that Naxos Japanese series along with Hayasaka's Piano Concerto? Thanks for posting this.

Added later:
I've just listened to the whole symphony whilst having a bath (too much information  :o). It really is very good indeed and my attention was gripped throughout. What a discovery! The relentless tread and epic qualities of the slow movement remind me, in a way, of the Epilogue of Vaughan Williams's 6th Symphony, although much louder of course. I must say that the abrupt change of atmosphere at the start of the last movement came as a jolt, especially as it then seems to morph, as you suggest, into a much better known Soviet 5th symphony. In this sense it reminded me of the incongruously perky second (last) movement of Hayasaka's Piano Concerto, which I simply wish wasn't there. However, by the end of the Akutagawa 1st Symphony I was convinced and will be listening to this again soon. There are some lovely poetic sections featuring the harp and the synthesis or at least juxtaposition of Eastern and Western influence reminded me of the Moroi and Hayasaka works as well as Avshalomov's 1st Symphony.

Excellent, Jeffrey! Interesting to read your impressions. The Ellora Symphony is also magnificent, much more rhytmic and chaotic, a bit akin to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.

As for the Moroi's Symphony, I haven't listened to it yet, nor the Hayasaka. There are lots of new symphonies and concertos that are awaiting for me, and certainly both the Moroi and Hayasaka are there now.

Roy Bland

Meiro Sugahara. I received his symphony last week.Soon i will write more.

vandermolen

Quote from: SymphonicAddict on August 14, 2019, 11:13:42 AM
Excellent, Jeffrey! Interesting to read your impressions. The Ellora Symphony is also magnificent, much more rhytmic and chaotic, a bit akin to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.

As for the Moroi's Symphony, I haven't listened to it yet, nor the Hayasaka. There are lots of new symphonies and concertos that are awaiting for me, and certainly both the Moroi and Hayasaka are there now.
Oh, I'm sure that you will enjoy these works Cesar. The Moroi is a lament for the victims of World War Two and the Hayasaka in memory of his brother I think. I find both very moving. Hayasaka also wrote the soundtrack music for 'Seven Samurai'. I think that they should go to the top of your listening pile!
;)
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

vandermolen

Quote from: Roy Bland on August 14, 2019, 05:39:32 PM
Meiro Sugahara. I received his symphony last week.Soon i will write more.
Look forward to hearing your views. I must search out the 'Ellora Symphony' by Akutagawa having enjoyed his First Symphony so much thanks to Cesar's post.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).


vers la flamme

I won't pretend to be up to date on Japanese composers – I'm sure there are many great ones, but the only one I have spent much time listening to is Ryuichi Sakamoto, whom few would describe as classical, though he is a great all-around musician. I have yet to really explore Toru Takemitsu – I suspect I will learn to love his music in time, as I love what little I have heard.

I just wanted to share a piece that I think is great, yet neglected...: Toshiro Mayuzumi's Prelude for String Quartet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxGgvVE5-xE

... (is there a way to share embedded Youtube videos here on GMG...?)

Worth a listen or two, I think. I came across it because it is on a disc by the LaSalle Quartet alongside works by Lutoslawski, Penderecki, and Cage.

Mirror Image


MadvillainQuas

#167
He is primarily a soundtrack composer, but, considering the listing on Discogs classifies the album that the composition is from (Feldschlacht V) as Modern Classical, I'm including this. He also has Opus listings, so, technically, he is also a classical composer  ;). Screw it. He's too good  ;D.

Here is Masashi Hamauzu, quite possibly one of my all-time composers. He is a composer whose music features an intimate relationship with cathartical feeling. Screw all that Uematsu hype, this man is my choice for the best composer to come out of the Square Enix school.

Feldschlacht V:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_JrkEDwI_E

Etudes, Op. 4: No. 8 in G-Minor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDUOyyZIW9E&list=OLAK5uy_m-H_Ksqor11f3-OFGJDLQqmUldbdLyShs&index=8

Piano Concerto based on the Themes of Final Fantasy X: I. Zanarkand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdYdFUp5ijk

And, now for some cheating. Here are some choices from his soundtracks that feature full orchestra - essentially straddling the line between Classical and Soundtrack (the main body of his work, and his finest).

Born Anew - A Verdi's Requiem-esque piece w/ Orchestra & Choir:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXr-J-Pv154

Ending Credits - A full showing of his compositional power, akin to Sibelius in impact. I wouldn't be exaggerating if I stated that, from 2:54, this features some of the most powerful sequences of music I've heard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4ytiqB6xlU

Nautilius - A rhapsodic composition similar to John Williams.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpRtJFsHUxQ

Ragnarok - A piece for organ and choir very similar in tone to Schnittke's Requiem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1AjTdQ2OeY

Right, now it's time to cease the gushing.

I'm also a defender of Yoshimatsu's compositional style. A portion of his music that I have heard gone unacknowledged, are his piano works; some of which I find sublime.

Dance Toward East is one of these works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wndFNi7zhmg

One ESPECIALLY neglected piece, featuring Satie-esque chord play, is his Villon's Wife piece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWPCe5xutUY

Alongside the 'Odes to Birds and Rainbow' which I love, I also particularly enjoy his work 'And The Birds are Still...'

Takashi Niigaki is also a name I will recommend, as previously mentioned (along with his funny backstory). His recent work, 'Elegy', is particularly beautiful.

Obviously, Ryuichi Sakamoto should be close to the top of anyone's lists when talking about Japanese composers (even if he straddles the line finely).

Such a work to get you started on a journey through his music is 'Amore'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMeDgrD4yXQ

Another face to check out, is Takashi Kako, if I can ever find the music that I love him for on YouTube, that is.

T. D.

#168
Quote from: milk on November 27, 2016, 06:24:53 AM



Someone must have posted these before? Good stuff!
I was reading this thread for the first time hoping to see Fujieda mentioned.
I enjoy his 2 Patterns of Plants discs on Tzadik, haven't heard the others shown.

vandermolen

+1 for the Yoshimatsu piano works - lovely disc.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: MadvillainQuas on April 05, 2020, 07:52:43 AM
He is primarily a soundtrack composer, but, considering the listing on Discogs classifies the album that the composition is from (Feldschlacht V) as Modern Classical, I'm including this. He also has Opus listings, so, technically, he is also a classical composer  ;). Screw it. He's too good  ;D.

Here is Masashi Hamauzu, quite possibly one of my all-time composers. He is a composer whose music features an intimate relationship with cathartical feeling. Screw all that Uematsu hype, this man is my choice for the best composer to come out of the Square Enix school.

Feldschlacht V:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_JrkEDwI_E

Etudes, Op. 4: No. 8 in G-Minor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDUOyyZIW9E&list=OLAK5uy_m-H_Ksqor11f3-OFGJDLQqmUldbdLyShs&index=8

Piano Concerto based on the Themes of Final Fantasy X: I. Zanarkand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdYdFUp5ijk

And, now for some cheating. Here are some choices from his soundtracks that feature full orchestra - essentially straddling the line between Classical and Soundtrack (the main body of his work, and his finest).

Born Anew - A Verdi's Requiem-esque piece w/ Orchestra & Choir:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXr-J-Pv154

Ending Credits - A full showing of his compositional power, akin to Sibelius in impact. I wouldn't be exaggerating if I stated that, from 2:54, this features some of the most powerful sequences of music I've heard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4ytiqB6xlU

Nautilius - A rhapsodic composition similar to John Williams.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpRtJFsHUxQ

Ragnarok - A piece for organ and choir very similar in tone to Schnittke's Requiem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1AjTdQ2OeY

Right, now it's time to cease the gushing.

I'm also a defender of Yoshimatsu's compositional style. A portion of his music that I have heard gone unacknowledged, are his piano works; some of which I find sublime.

Dance Toward East is one of these works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wndFNi7zhmg

One ESPECIALLY neglected piece, featuring Satie-esque chord play, is his Villon's Wife piece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWPCe5xutUY

Alongside the 'Odes to Birds and Rainbow' which I love, I also particularly enjoy his work 'And The Birds are Still...'

Takashi Niigaki is also a name I will recommend, as previously mentioned (along with his funny backstory). His recent work, 'Elegy', is particularly beautiful.

Obviously, Ryuichi Sakamoto should be close to the top of anyone's lists when talking about Japanese composers (even if he straddles the line finely).

Such a work to get you started on a journey through his music is 'Amore'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMeDgrD4yXQ

Another face to check out, is Takashi Kako, if I can ever find the music that I love him for on YouTube, that is.

This sounds interesting. From Niigaki I like his gargantuan Hiroshima Symphony (not by Samuragochi) and Litany Symphony.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

vers la flamme

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on April 05, 2020, 12:52:26 PM
This sounds interesting. From Niigaki I like his gargantuan Hiroshima Symphony (not by Samuragochi) and Litany Symphony.

A good ol' fashioned plagiarist, eh?  >:( Those stories are always interesting...

Symphonic Addict

#172
Quote from: vers la flamme on April 05, 2020, 02:02:07 PM
A good ol' fashioned plagiarist, eh?  >:( Those stories are always interesting...

It's even more shocking taking into account that Samuragochi was supposed to be deaf.

EDIT: Sorry, it wasn't blind but deaf, 'apparent deafness'.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

MadvillainQuas

#173
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on April 05, 2020, 12:52:26 PM
This sounds interesting. From Niigaki I like his gargantuan Hiroshima Symphony (not by Samuragochi) and Litany Symphony.

Yep, I meant to put 'Litany Symphony', but I was scrolling through my Spotify playlists, and, honestly, who knows what happened  :laugh:.

If anyone gets time, I'd definitely recommend checking Hamauzu's works. Not just because I'm the biggest fanboy of him  ;D.

Quote from: vers la flamme on April 05, 2020, 02:02:07 PM
A good ol' fashioned plagiarist, eh?  >:( Those stories are always interesting...

Honestly, just read through the Wikipedia article. The story is hilarious.

'a reporter from the magazine Aera interviewed Samuragochi at his apartment in Yokohama, but noticed a number of inconsistencies in Samuragochi's deafness statements, including his ability to respond to questions before the sign-language interpreter had finished, and standing up to answer a doorbell when it rang.'

And it wasn't plagiarism, it was something we both should know about from the rap game: ghostwriting.

vers la flamme

Quote from: MadvillainQuas on April 06, 2020, 02:14:25 AM
Honestly, just read through the Wikipedia article. The story is hilarious.

'a reporter from the magazine Aera interviewed Samuragochi at his apartment in Yokohama, but noticed a number of inconsistencies in Samuragochi's deafness statements, including his ability to respond to questions before the sign-language interpreter had finished, and standing up to answer a doorbell when it rang.'

:laugh:

Quote from: MadvillainQuas on April 06, 2020, 02:14:25 AM

And it wasn't plagiarism, it was something we both should know about from the rap game: ghostwriting.

:o What would this Niigaki have to gain by attributing his works to a "deaf" composer? Better yet, why wouldn't he just claim to be deaf himself, and publish the works under his own name?  ;D The world may never know... but maybe SymphonicAddict knows this much; has Niigaki made anything of a career for himself under his own name in the wake of this scandal?

milk

Quote from: T. D. on April 05, 2020, 08:02:41 AM
I was reading this thread for the first time hoping to see Fujieda mentioned.
I enjoy his 2 Patterns of Plants discs on Tzadik, haven't heard the others shown.
I'm a fan of that Fujieda. He just retired from teaching, incidentally (good timing).

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

#176
Quote from: vers la flamme on November 21, 2019, 04:55:31 PM
I won't pretend to be up to date on Japanese composers – I'm sure there are many great ones, but the only one I have spent much time listening to is Ryuichi Sakamoto, whom few would describe as classical, though he is a great all-around musician. I have yet to really explore Toru Takemitsu – I suspect I will learn to love his music in time, as I love what little I have heard.

I just wanted to share a piece that I think is great, yet neglected...: Toshiro Mayuzumi's Prelude for String Quartet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxGgvVE5-xE

... (is there a way to share embedded Youtube videos here on GMG...?)

Worth a listen or two, I think. I came across it because it is on a disc by the LaSalle Quartet alongside works by Lutoslawski, Penderecki, and Cage.

Mayuzumi was well-known as a hard-core, and anachronistic, right-wing nationalist in Japan. The music? Interesting.

vandermolen

I've recently been enjoying Fukai's 'Songs of Java' with its echoes of Ravel's 'Bolero' and also Stravinsky's 'The Rite of Spring':
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

vers la flamme

Quote from: Forever Brett Kavanaugh on April 16, 2020, 07:49:42 PM
Mayuzumi was well-known as a hard-core, and anachronistic, right-wing nationalist in Japan. The music? Interesting.

Well-known by whom? I can't seem to find any information on his politics, so I'll have to take your word on that.

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

Quote from: vers la flamme on April 17, 2020, 05:08:11 AM
Well-known by whom? I can't seem to find any information on his politics, so I'll have to take your word on that.

By the Japanese people in Japan.