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Toshio Hosokawa Leads The Takefu International Music Festival in Tokyo

Sep. 01, 2019

Toshio Hosokawa Leads The Takefu International Music Festival in Tokyo

The Takefu International Music Festival takes place from September 9-15 in Tokyo. Music director Toshio Hosokawa and pianist and concert producer, Kei Itoh oversee the festival, taking place at the Echizen-shi Bunka Center and other venues around the city. This year, the festival celebrates its 30th anniversary under the theme, “New Era! New Cooperation! New Horizon!”, gathering many performers and composers of international stature to perform a variety of programs from classical to contemporary. Composition workshops and summer academies, offering masterclasses for performers, are also planned to take place.

Among the artists appearing at the music festival this year are: soprano Kerstin Avemo who sang the role of Helen in Hosokawa’s opera Futari Shizuka, Edicson Ruiz from the Berliner Philharmoniker Orchestra, one of the most sought-after contrabassists in the world, Veronika Erberle, a young violinist who continues to receive international acclaim from top orchestras and conductors, Mario Caroli, a flutist renowned for his performances of contemporary music who has also frequently appeared at this festival, and the Slowind Windbrass Quintet consisting of soloists from the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra who will be performing in Japan for the first time since 2015. In addition to the above, many Japanese performers who Toshio Hosokawa holds in high regard are also planned to participate, making it an exciting event worthy to mark the celebration of the Takefu International Music Festival’s 30th anniversary.

At the concert given on September 12 titled, ‘Fascination of String Instruments’, Toshio Hosokawa’s Lied IV will be performed by Eberle and Itoh. Lied IV was commissioned by Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad 2017 and was written for young artists to perform every night during that festival.

On September 13, in a concert entitled, ‘Toshio Hosokawa and His Friends’, the world premiere of the saxophone version of Hosokawa’s Three Essays and the Japanese premiere of Small Essay, for doublebass solo will be performed. Three Essays was originally written for the oboe, and the soprano saxophone version was newly completed in collaboration with saxophonist Masanori Oishi. Small Essay is dedicated to Edicson Ruiz and the world premiere of this work was presented at the Tongyeong International Music Festival on April 1 this year. Ruiz, who performed the world premiere of this work, will also perform the Japanese premiere.

At the final concert on September 15, Toshio Hosokawa’s Threnody will be performed by violist Tomoko Akasaka. In addition, Masato Suzuki will conduct the Takefu Ensemble in a performance of Mozart’s Requiem K. 626 in a new version of the work that was completed and edited by Masato Suzuki. This new edition, completed by Suzuki in 2013, was commissioned for performance and recording by the Bach Collegium Japan where Suzuki holds post as principal conductor. Suzuki’s edition adopts Mozart’s autograph manuscript and is prinicipally based on Süßmayr edition. However, Joseph Leopold Eybler’s additions are given priority consideration from the “Dies Irae” to “Confutatis” of the Sequentia. According to Suzuki’s notes, the following two key points should be mentioned. Firstly, there is a newly completed “Amen” fugue based on Mozart’s sketches; this was completed as a short Fugue to follow the “Lachrymosa”, to be heard at the end of the Sequentia. Secondly, an additional choice between bassoon and trombone is given at the beginning of the “Tuba mirum” of the Sequentia, which was based on the first edition published by Breitkopt & Härtel, Leipzig in 1800. For this concert, the Takefu International Music Festival Special Version, specially arranged for the Takefu Ensemble by Isamu Kanai under the direction of Suzuki, will be performed. The beginning of “Tuba mirum”, as was mentioned earlier, will be played this time by the bassoon. Conducted by Suzuki, it is sure to be a particularly convincing performance.

A pre-festival concert took place on September 4 at Tokyo's Doujin Christ Church. Pianist Junko Yamamoto and recorder player, Toshiya Suzuki performed a program that included all six works from Etude I - VI for piano and Sen Ib by Toshio Hosokawa among others.

To learn more about Toshio Hosokawa, visit: schott-music.com.

Toshio Hosokawa
Futari Shizuka (2017)
opera in one act
original text by Oriza Hirata, based on the Noh play "Futari Shizuka"
soprano, Noh singer and dancer
1(pic&bfl).1(ca).2(2.bcl).1(cbsn)-2.1.1.1-3perc(I: 3sus cym, tam-t, b.d; II: gong, tam-t, 2wdbl, 4furin, anti cym, water; III: vib, gong, bng(2 pairs), 4fruin, 4rins on timp, anti cym, water)-pno(cel), hp-str(3vn.2va.2vc.db) 
45' 

Threnody (2011)
to the victims of Tohuko Earthquake 3.11
for viola
8'

Etude I-VI (2011-2013)
for piano
33'

Sen Ib (1984, rev. 1986)
for flute
16' 

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