Thedeen, Torleif: The Japanese Cello

Featuring

Torleif Thedéen
Noriko Ogawa
Yoshihiro Kanno
Hirohisa Shono
Tōru Takemitsu
Makoto Moroi

Kozaburo Hirai

Did you know?

1/7

Composer's Artistic Vision

Toru Takemitsu's "Orion" belongs to a series of compositions related to stellar configurations, including "Asterism," "Cassiopeia," "Gémeaux," and "Star-Isle."

Compositional Technique

Makoto Moroi's "Ordre" is strictly systematized using 12-tone technique and a symmetrical principle, with outer movements being retrogrades of each other and other movements using inversion.

Compositional Technique

Hirohisa Shono's "Z-Paraphrase" is based on a Japanese children's song, "Zui Zui Zukkorobashi," but treats the basic tune as raw material, developing motifs from it rather than presenting the song in its complete form.

Recording & Production

Yoshihiro Kanno's "A Cluster of Stars II" is a revised version of his 1982 piano work, specifically adapted for cello and piano in 1997 for this recording and dedicated to Noriko Ogawa.

Composer Biography

Toru Takemitsu, a prolific composer, wrote works for nearly every instrument combination, including traditional Japanese instruments and electronic sounds, but "Orion" is his only composition for cello and piano.

Performer Biography

Cellist Torleif Thedéen gained international recognition in 1985 by winning three prestigious cello competitions: the Hammer-Rostropovich prize, the Pablo Casals competition, and the TlJl-Tribune.

Compositional Technique

In Kozaburo Y. Hirai's "Sakura, Sakura" paraphrase, the cello line conveys the ephemeral quality of cherry blossoms, while the piano arpeggios depict the traditional Japanese koto instrument.