Mitsukuri: 3 Pieces After the Flower / Hashimoto: 3 Piano Pieces

Featuring

Noriko Ogawa
Rentaro Taki
Shukichi Mitsukuri
Meiro Sugawara
Kunihiko Hashimoto
Yasuji Kiyose

Kikuko Kanai
Humiwo Hayasaka
Kiyoshige Koyama
Akio Yashiro
Yoshinao Nakada
Ryuichi Sakamoto

Did you know?

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Composer Biography

Rentarō Taki, a pioneering Japanese composer, died at the young age of 24 from tuberculosis, cutting short his studies in Germany.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Shūkichi Mitsukuri, an engineer by training, developed a unique method of harmonization called 'Japanese Harmony' based on the interval of the fifth, using traditional Japanese pentatonic scales.

Compositional Technique

In his "Night Rhapsody," Shūkichi Mitsukuri repeatedly uses arpeggios to imitate the sound of the koto, a traditional Japanese plucked instrument.

Composition History

Rentarō Taki, a graduate of the Tokyo Academy of Music, wrote the first Japanese solo piano piece, "Menuetto," in 1900.

Historical Context

The Meiji Restoration in 1868 led to the reintroduction of Western music to Japan after 250 years, as part of a broader modernization policy.

Performer Biography

Noriko Ogawa, the pianist on this album, is a national celebrity in Japan and spends over half the year performing in Britain.

Historical Context

Western music was first introduced to Japan in the 16th century with Christianity, but was forbidden for 250 years by the Samurai until the mid-19th century.