TAKEMITSU : I Hear the Water Dreaming (2000) Mp3

Toru Takemitsu's arrangements of a prelude from Erik Satie's 1891 set of incidental music to a Rosicrucian mystery play shows the Japanese composer's sensitivity to tone color and instrumental technique. He asks the flutist (in this case, Fabrice Pierre) to tune the strings of his harp in an unconventional way to facilitate playing the chordal accompaniment of Satie's music. Flutist Patrick Gallois shifted from playing a conventional flute to a wooden flute in the 1990s after hearing some of Takemitsu's music for the Japanese instrument the shakuhachi. In this recording, the wooden flute has a warm and intimate quality that enhances the mystery of Satie's music. Both musicians perform with fluency and understanding. Deutsche Grammophon's sound (recorded in 1996 at the Warehouse in London) is close and intimate and this is a very attractive recording. by Joseph Stevenson

SHIN-ICHI - FUKUDA - Japanese Guitar Music • 1 (2014) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

 
 

Tan Dun: Pipa Concerto; Hayashi: Viola Concerto; Takemitsu: Nostalghia [Yuri Bashmet / Wu Man / Moscow Soloists]

Tan Dun's Concerto for String Orchestra and Pipa (1999) is a reworking of one of his most popular works, Ghost Opera, written for and recorded by the Kronos Quartet. In this version, the composer's characteristic polystylism -- which here includes Chinese folk song, Copland-esque Big Sky music, quotations from Bach, and vocalizations by the orchestra -- comes across as a jumble, without much of a strong vision holding the disparate elements together. Pipa virtuoso Wu Man, who appeared on the Kronos recording, plays the concerto with energy and delicacy. She's ably accompanied by the Moscow Soloists, led by Yuri Bashmet. The concerto is followed by Takemitsu's Nostalghia (1987) for violin and string orchestra. Its compositional assurance, clarity, subtly nuanced orchestration, and emotional directness make it all the more striking in contrast to the Tan Dun. Here Bashmet is the impassioned soloist, with Roman Balashov conducting with great sensitivity. The three brief excerpts from Takemitsu's film scores are a pleasant stylistic diversion -- light, strongly differentiated character pieces. Hikaru Hayashi's Concert-elegia for viola and strings is a substantial contribution to the small repertoire of successful viola concertos. As its title suggests, its tone is essentially one of gentle melancholy, but it's also characterized by an optimistic serenity. It's elegantly and beautifully conceived and constructed, with a transparent emotional appeal. The versatile Bashmet plays with warmth and deep feeling. Onyx's sound is clean, clear, and warmly atmospheric. by Stephen Eddins   

Tan Dun: Pipa Concerto; Hayashi: Viola Concerto; Takemitsu: Nostalghia 

[Yuri Bashmet / Wu Man / Moscow Soloists]

FLAC (tracks), lossless

TAKEMITSU - A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden

Until the launch of Deutsche Grammophon's Echo 20 21 series, many to most of the excellent recordings of contemporary music the esteemed German label made from the 1950s through the 1970s had gone AWOL from the active catalog. That Deutsche Grammophon had anything to offer in terms of Takemitsu may come as a surprise to some, so long has it been since this material has been available. Yet A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden is the fourth Takemitsu release on Echo 20 21 since the inception of the imprint in 1998, more discs than for any composer in the series. A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden features Seiji Ozawa's 1977 and 1978 recordings of Quatrain and the popular title work with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, both then premieres.

Takemitsu's adherents will want this automatically, and yet there are other reasons to love Deutsche Grammophon's A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden. These excellent orchestral performances come not only as a revelation to the benefit of Takemitsu, but also for Ozawa, as well. At about the time he stepped down as director of the Boston Symphony, critics were blaming Ozawa for practically everything up to and including bad weather in Boston. Yet he had outstanding abilities in such music, and although other recordings of A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden have come along since, none has been nearly as good as this one, and features the outstanding chamber group Tashi.

The filler is a surprise -- rare recordings of Takemitsu's early chamber music made for Polydor's Japanese affiliate in 1969. These pieces; Stanza I, Sacrifice, Ring, and Valeria, possess a "keeping up with the Joneses" quality in terms of demonstrating solidarity with the hyper-serialist trends then current in Darmstadt. Though even as Valeria strongly recalls the early music of Boulez, there are parts that are more reminiscent of Takemitsu's film music of that time. Additionally, it is a delight to hear the young Keiko Abe, playing vibes this time, and Yuji Takahashi playing an acetone organ of the kind popularized in Italian films of the early '60s.  by Uncle Dave Lewis   

Tracklist  

1 Quatrain 17:02

Cello – Fred Sherry

Clarinet – Richard Stoltzman

Conductor – Seiji Ozawa

Orchestra – Boston Symphony Orchestra

Performer – Tashi

Piano – Peter Serkin

Violin – Ida Kavafian

2 A Flock Descends Into The Pentagonal Garden 13:08

Cello – Fred Sherry

Clarinet – Richard Stoltzman

Conductor – Seiji Ozawa

Orchestra – Boston Symphony Orchestra

Performer – Tashi

Piano – Peter Serkin

Violin – Ida Kavafian

3 Stanza I 7:11

Conductor – Hiroshi Wakasugi

Guitar – Harumi Ibe

Harp – Mari Nagasako

Mezzo-soprano Vocals – Yonaku Nagano

Piano, Celesta – Yuji Takahashi

Vibraphone – Keiko Abe

4 Sacrifice 6:25

Conductor – Hiroshi Wakasugi

Flute [Alto] – Ryu Noguchi

Lute – Mitsuhiko Hamada

Vibraphone, Cymbal [Antique] – Keiko Abe

5 Ring 9:31

Conductor – Hiroshi Wakasugi

Flute – Ryu Noguchi

Guitar [Terz] – Harumi Ibe

Lute – Mitsuhiko Hamada

6 Valeria 6:28

Cello – Yoshio Hattori

Conductor – Hiroshi Wakasugi

Guitar – Harumi Ibe

Organ [Electric] – Yuji Takahashi

Piccolo Flute – Ryu Noguchi, Takeshi Koizumi

Violin – Saburo Ueki

Credits

Composed By – Toru Takemitsu [1930-1996]

Toru Takemitsu [1930-1996]

A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden [TASHI] 

[2005] DG / FLAC / scans