Hosokawa / Penderecki / Norgard: Viola Space Japan 10th Anniversary

Featuring

Koichiro Harada
Nobuko Imai
Yoshiko Kawamoto
Yuji Murai
Ichiro Nodaira
Junji Suganuma

Masao Kawasaki
Mazumi Tanamura
Sachiko Suda
Shota Yanase
Kyoko Koyama
Noboru Kamimura
Yasushi Toyoshima
Toho Gakuen Orchestra
Toshio Hosokawa
Krzysztof Penderecki
György Kurtág
Per Nørgård
Quincy Porter
Ödön Pártos
György Ligeti
George Benjamin
Hikaru Hayashi
Alfred Schnittke

Did you know?

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Composer's Artistic Vision

The founder of 'Viola Space', Nobuko Imai, initiated the concert series because she wanted more people to learn about the viola's beautiful timbre, believing its range is closest to the human voice.

Album & Artwork

This album celebrates the 10th anniversary of 'Viola Space', a project that began in 1992 at the Casals Hall in Tokyo.

Instruments

The violists on this album play instruments by renowned makers: Nobuko Imai plays a viola by Andreas Gumerius from 1690, and Mazumi Tanamura plays one by Alessandro Gagliano from 1723.

Notable Performances

In 1995, 'Viola Space' played a central role in the International Hindemith Viola Festival, celebrating the composer Paul Hindemith's centenary in Tokyo, London, and New York with violists Kim Kashkashian and Tabea Zimmermann.

Cultural Impact

Over ten years, 'Viola Space' has performed nearly 150 works, including numerous Japan premieres and newly commissioned pieces, challenging the notion that the viola repertoire is limited.

Recording & Production

This recording fulfills the dream of Nobuko Imai, the founder of 'Viola Space', to make an album with fellow violists in their 'home', the Casals Hall in Tokyo.