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World Premiere of Akira Nishimura's Bhagavad Gita

Oct. 25, 2013

World Premiere of Akira Nishimura's <em>Bhagavad Gita</em>

Bhagavad Gita, a new chamber opera by Akira Nishimura, receives its world premiere on November 23 at Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Based on the scripture from the Hindu epic narrative, the Mahabharata, Nishimura’s work is composed for two singers and a percussion ensemble of seven players. For its premiere performance, Yasuaki Itakura conducts percussionist Shinichi Ueno and the Phonix Réflexion ensemble, with mezzo-soprano Hitomi Kaga and baritone Takashi Matsudaira.

With a libretto by Masakuni Kitazawa, Nishimura’s Bhagavad Gita keenly overlaps the ancient mythical world of the Mahabharata with the modernity of our own time. Throughout the work, Nishimura employs his unique sound world as well as his deep knowledge of Asian traditional music, religion, and cosmology in order to impart a kind of warning of the crisis caused by the egotism of the human race.

For more information on Akira Nishimura, please visit www.zen-on.co.jp.

Akira Nishimura
Bhagavad Gita
a chamber opera in one act
libretto by Masakuni Kitazawa based on the Mahabharata
for mezzo-soprano, baritone and percussion ensemble
70’

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