Toru Takemitsu's work November Steps (1967) broke new ground by employing indigenous Japanese instruments within a Western orchestral context.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Toru Takemitsu's later musical idiom fused an essentially Japanese ethos with Western techniques, gaining a following on both sides of the Pacific.
Performer Biography
Kotaro Fukuma, the pianist on this album, won first prize at the 2003 Fifteenth Cleveland International Piano Competition.
Composer Biography
Toru Takemitsu, the composer, is considered the most significant classical composer Japan has produced and was largely self-taught.
Composer's Artistic Vision
French music, particularly that of Debussy and Messiaen, held a special attraction for Toru Takemitsu, influencing his earliest scores.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded at the Glenn Gould Studio, CBC, Toronto, Canada, from July 26th to 28th, 2006.
Cultural Impact
Toru Takemitsu gained international attention when his Requiem for strings (1957) was hailed as a masterpiece by Igor Stravinsky, a renowned Russian composer.
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