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Three Orchestral Works by Itaru Sakai are Published by Zen-On

Jun. 28, 2024

Last month, Zen-On published three works by Itaru Sakai, a prolific Japanese composer whose compositions for wind instruments are especially compelling. 

Scissors Crossing for alto saxophone and orchestra was premiered by the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra who premiered the work, under the baton of Kazuyoshi Akiyama, with soloist Kohei Ueno in September 2021. Sakai notes:

"The ‘scissors crossing’ in the title refers to a set of railway points or turnout in the shape of an open pair of scissors. The piece depicts the sight of trains of all kinds—steam locomotives, freight trains and those ranging from old types to the most recent and advanced—and the pleasure they offer to so many people who watch them.

The regular rhythm generated by the wheels as they cross over the links between the rails appears throughout the piece, which also features sounds familiar to railway fans such as the roaring of the engine as the train accelerates, the blasting sound emitted by steam locomotives, the chimes one hears on station platforms, the departure whistle, and the chimes generated by the automatic train stop (ATS) mechanism.

The piece begins with a slow prelude which is followed by the main section at a fast tempo, a slow middle section, and then another fast and dramatic development section. After a solo cadenza for the saxophone, the piece ends with a brilliant coda."

Sakai's March: Light of Marcus Island was commissioned by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Band who premiered the work in February 2015 in Tokyo under the baton of Hiroyuki Tezuka. Sakai describes his inspirtation for the piece:

"Located 1,860 kilometres south-east of Tokyo and with a circumference of barely six kilometers, tiny Marcus Island is Japan’s easternmost point. However, the exclusive economic zone attached to this island extends over 430,000 square kilometres, an area equivalent to 1.2 times Japan’s total national territory. This sea area is a rich repository of rare earth and has come into focus in recent years for that reason. There is no regular air or sea transport available to the island, making it impossible for ordinary people to visit, but there is a regular deployment of members of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force engaged both in protecting this rich maritime zone and in providing support for the employees of the Meteorological Agency whose task is to observe weather conditions on the island.

Life in such an isolated location is no doubt full of hardship. My intention in composing this piece was to provide a message of support to the members of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force charged with protecting the national territory and plentiful seas in the spot in Japan where the sun rises the earliest."

March: Light of Marcus Island won the 2016 JBA Shitaya Award.

Finally, Sakai's Dekansho Rhapsody was commissioned and premiered by the Sasayama Symphonic Band and Takashi Obana in December 2013. Sakai notes: "The piece is based on Dekansho-bushi, a folk song much loved in the Sasayama region. The melody of this song appears eleven times throughout the piece, played at different tempos and by different combinations of instruments in the manner of a set of variations." 

Dekansho Rhapsody was awarded the 2015 Shitaya Encouragement Award.

To learn more about Itaru Sakai, visit zen-on.co.jp.

Itaru Sakai
Scissors Crossing (2021)
for alto saxophone and orchestra, Op. 190
solo asax - 2(pic).2.2.2-4.3.3.1-timp-perc:vib/tgl/xyl/glock/tam-t/anv/SD/bongo/toms/cyms/sus.cym/tamb/BD/woodblks-str
11.5'
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March: Light of Marcus Island (2014)
for wind orchestra, Op. 149
pic.2.1.Ebcl.3bcl.bsn.2asax.tsax.bsax-4.3.3.euph.1-perc-hp-pno-cb
6'
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Dekansho Rhapsody (2013)
for wind orchestra, Op. 136 
pic.2.1.Ecl.bcl.3.1.2asax.tsax.bsax.4.3.3.euph.1-timp.perc-cb
7'
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