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Akira Nishimura’s Kitora and Tokuhide Niimi’s Sinfonia M - Hear the Voices of the Gods! Streaming Through October 23

Oct. 01, 2020

On September 20, Shiniti Uéno and Phonix Réflexion presented the concert "Marimba Orchestra VII” in Tokyo. The program featured the Japanese premiere of Akira Nishimura's Kitora for eight marimbas, the title of which refers to an ancient burial mound constructed during the 7th and 8th centuries in Asukamura, Nara Prefecture. The composer explains:

"Inside the Kitora, walls facing east, west, south and north contain murals of the four sacred creatures which stand as symbols of each direction and season; the Azure Dragon (east, spring), the White Tiger (west, autumn), the Vermilion Bird (south, summer) and the Black Tortoise (north, winter). On the ceiling and its periphery, an astronomical chart is drawn. Thus, the inside of the Kitora is seen as an entrance to a kind of ancient space-time universe. The present and ancient space-time universes resonate with each other in the Kitora, and this work is a prelude for a delightful and mystical ceremony of the resonating two universes."

Also featured that evening was Tokuhide Niimi'sSinfonia M - Hear the Voices of the Gods! for marimba orchestra. The composer notes,

“Gods” in the subtitle refers to the gods of Nature, so it really means that we hear the voices of divine Nature. Can human civilization afford to keep being out of control? Isn’t it about time that we retrieve our humility and humbleness? Aren’t we, as human beings, now being tested on our wisdom? These are the thoughts I had while composing this piece. The introduction includes a quotation from J.S. Bach’s “Chorale”, developing in a spiral pattern, with the fourth leaps and falls of thirds and fifths as the element taken from it. The piece consists of one movement which I've labeled "A.E.56". (A.E. refers to 'After the Earthquake').  This is the 56th composition of mine, counting both short and long works, after the Great East Japan Earthquake."

The live concert is streaming online now through October 23. Please click here to learn more and subscribe.

Listen to Akira Nishimura's saxophone concerto, Esse in Anima (1999):

(Esse in Anima/Akira Nishimura/Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen/Norichika Iimori, conductor)


To learn more about Akira Nishimura and Tokuhide Niimi, visit: zen-on.co.jp

Akira Nishimura
Kitora (2020)
for eight marimbas
20'

Tokuhide Niimi
Sinfonia M - Hear the Voices of the Gods! (2016)
for marimba orchestra
18'

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