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Release of WANOKA ― Japanese Traditional Songs for Piano Featuring Music by Noriko Koide, Osamu Kawakami, Hitomi Kaneko, and Others

Jun. 01, 2021

WANOKA―Japanese Traditional Songs for Piano, commissioned by pianist Aska Iino, is a collection of pieces for solo piano written by ten Japanese composers of the younger generation, each inspired by a Japanese folk song of their choosing. The composers whose works are included in WANOKA are: Kae Hirakawa, Motoharu Kawashima, Noriko Koide, Masanobu Shinoda, Miho Hazama, Hitomi Kaneko, Masaki Norikura, Jummei Suzuki, Takehiko Yamada, Osamu Kawakami. 


"WANOKA" [Camerata Tokyo/CMCD-28373], a CD consisting of Aska Iino’s performances of the entire collection was released on April 25, 2020. Iino gave the premiere performances of the entire collection on May 22 in Tokyo.

Aska Iino, who has taken up the performance of contemporary music in earnest and has been awarded the 52nd Record Academy Award in Japan (contemporary music section) in 2014, is a pianist who has drawn much attention recently. "Toshi Ichiyanagi: Piano Works" [Camerata Tokyo/CMCD-28269] was selected as a special recommended recording by both Record Geijutsu (Art of records), a Japanese magazine specializing in recordings and The Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper to great acclaim. In 2017, Aska Iino released "JAPAN NOW" [Camerata Tokyo/CMCD-28349], a CD including eight works by Japanese contemporary composers such as Toshi Ichiyanagi/Aska Iino Jazz Fantasy–from Piano Concerto No.4 "Jazz"–, Joji Yuasa Cosmos Haptic II, and Toshio Hosokawa Etude IV. WANOKA represents another active undertaking by Aska Iino, an active performer and champion of contemporary music.

Although melodies reminiscent of Japanese nursery rhymes and folk songs can be heard in every piece included in the newly-published score, the music evolves freely from these songs. In WANOKA, listeners can enjoy the unique perpectives of the ten composers who reimagined these familiar songs. The songs not only evoke feelings of deep empathy but also stimulate listeners' imaginations and elicit new discoveries.

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