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World Premiere of Toshio Hosokawa's Invisible Angels in Lithuania

May. 25, 2023

Toshio Hosokawa's Invisible Angels, for violin and accordion, was premiered on May 6, at a portrait concert featuring the composer's music at St. John (Šv. Jono) Church on the campus of Vilnius University in Lithuania.

Vilnius University is a university with a long history (founded in 1579), and the St. John (Šv. Jono) Church on the premises was built immediately after Lithuania converted to Catholicism in the latter half of the 14th century. After being owned by the Jesuits, it became a university church in the 18th century. St. John (Šv. Jono) Church was rebuilt in Baroque style following a fire in 1737.

The church of St. John (Šv. Jono) has six chapels, and the 18th-century altar to the east of the main hall is a complex structure consisting of ten independent altars. Its magnificent altar, also known as "visual music," is a masterpiece of ornate Baroque decoration.

Upon visiting Vilnius University, Toshio Hosokawa said that he felt "the quiet, invisible power of a pure soul" in its beautiful historic buildings. The composer believes that it is this invisible force that has supported the independence of Lithuania, which has been at the mercy of its violent history.

The inspiration for Hosokawa's Invisible Angels came from the St. John (Šv. Jono) Church itself. Around the beautiful altar and organ of the St. John (Šv. Jono) Church are statues of angels that seem to move at any moment. Hosokawa listened to the "voiceless voices" of these angels and composed a small and touching piece for violin and accordion. According to the composer, "the violin was the voice of an angel, the accordion was the image of a sacred cloud surrounding the angel".

The portrait concert also included Hosokawa's Blossoming and Silent Flowers for string quartet, Sen V and Melodia for accordion, and Small Chant for cello.

Additionally, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, led by Jun Märkl, performed the Canadian premiere of Hosokawa's Horn Concerto -Moment of Blossoming - on May 26-27 at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver. Stefan Dohr, to whom the work is dedicated, was the featured soloist.


Toshio Hosokawa/Horn Concerto - Moment of Blossoming -/Stefan Dohr, horn/
Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Jun Märkl, conductor

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

Toshio Hosokawa
Invisible Angels
for violin and accordion

Horn Concerto -Moment of Blossoming- (2010)
for horn and orchestra
2(2.pic&afl).2(2.eh).2(2.bcl).2-2.2.2.1-3perc(tam-t [large], b.d, 3tri, cym.ant, 8Jap.wind bells[Furin], 8rins on timp, bng [2pairs], marac, s.d, mar [5octaves])-hp.cel-16.14.12.10.8(max)
Echo: 2hn.tpt.tbn
17'

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