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Zen-On Releases New Publications by Shin-Ichiro Ikebe, Kenji Sakai, Tokuhide Niimi, and Akira Miyoshi and Adds Hikaru Hayashi's Symphony in G to the Catalog

Nov. 22, 2022

Zen-On released several new publications on November 15. Shin-Ichiro Ikebe's Bivalence XII for two harps was commissioned by Ayako Shinozaki and premiered by Ayako Shinozaki and Kazuko Shinozaki on October 2, 2017 at Suntory Hall in Tokyo. The composer notes:

"I composed this piece for the fourteenth concert in a series of harp recitals presented by Ayako Shinozaki, who is an old friend of mine and a highly valued musical colleague. This is the third piece I have written for her, following a solo work and a concerto, and it belongs to a series of pieces for two instruments of the same kind that I have been working on since 1997. The previous eleven works in this series are for cellos, violins, violas, clarinets, oboes, double basses, percussion, saxophones, trumpets, mandolins and voices. Bivalence XII for two harps has been followed by works for flutes, horns, recorders, bassoons, and trombones.

Ayako Shinozaki has carved out an important creative role for herself in Japan’s contemporary music scene, and it’s astonishing that she has trained her outstandingly gifted daughter to succeed her in that role. This particular work is a kind of étude which presents a major challenge to the fingers and feet of skilled performers, and could only have come into being thanks to the inspiration provided by this mother and daughter duo."

Kenji Sakai's Etheric Visions II for alto saxophone was commissioned by Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall and premiered on March 23, 2019, at Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall in Kanagawa by Kohei Ueno. Kenji Sakai notes,　　　　　　 

"Etheric Visions II is a work inspired by theosophy that follows on from my Etheric Visions I, which I composed in 2017 for the guitarist Daisuke Suzuki. On several occasions, I’ve sensed a haze-like aura descend on the concert hall when listening to the web of sound woven by an outstanding performer. I began working on this series of pieces with the aim of evoking such a state of ‘etheric vision’. I greatly enjoyed the process of composition while imagining how the performer at the première of the work might interpret and perform it, and I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall for enabling this encounter.

The work is based on the same harmonic sequence as appears in the first work in the series and is interlaced throughout with virtuosic passages. The conceptual focus in this piece is placed on melody. Although there are occasional moments where tonality makes its presence felt, the undulations of melody constantly waver between the intervals of major and minor thirds that define major and minor tonalities. I wanted to consider the meaning of melody as it is created and heard in the present century.

Etheric Visions II is dedicated to the saxophonist Kohei Ueno." 

Kenji Sakai's Mixtures for woodwind quintet was commissioned by Ensemble Mixt and premiered on March 17, 2014 at Tokyo Opera City by Ensemble Mixt. The composer explains,

"I composed Mixtures between autumn 2013 and January 2014 on the basis of a commission from Ensemble Mixt. The work consists of two movements, the first entitled "Mixtures" and the second, "Passacaille." Having accepted this commission, I took a close look at the personality of each member of the ensemble and set about composing a work that would bring forth the individuality of each player and of the ensemble as a whole. The first movement features various fragmentary gestures. Each part demands considerable virtuosity within the context of the high level of cohesion required of the ensemble itself. The movement incorporates complex combinations of numerous motifs, all of which are, however, generated from a single central note or pivot. I composed the music with clockwork precision but with the aim of creating something that would emerge as an interlinked object when seen from a slight distance.

The second movement differs from the first regarding the mode of ensemble performance. It consists of a chorale theme followed by ten variations and a coda, and requires the performers to add coloring to the different harmonies. Five of the variations feature solos for each of the five instruments backed by the other members of the ensemble, conveying the impression of mini-concertos in their own right. The chorale is a quotation from the beggining of the second movement of my piano piece Blue in Green / Green in Blue and was inspired by the chorale theme that appears in the last movement of Nielsen’s Wind Quintet, which I happened to hear in a performance by the Ensemble Wien-Berlin while I was working on the piece. This gave me the idea of composing a passacaglia based on a chorale.

Although the two movements present a stark contrast, I strove to imbue the work as a whole with an overriding sense of consistency."

Tokuhide Niimi's Somnium for clarinet and piano was commissioned by Zen-On Music Co., Ltd. and premiered by Yasuaki Itakura (clarinet) and Toshio Nakagawa (piano) on November 30, 2021 at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Small Hall in Tokyo at the 27th annual concert of Groupe des Quatre et ses ami(e)s sponsored by Zen-On Music Co., Ltd.


Yasuaki Itakura and Toshio Nakagawa perform Tokuhide Niimi's Somnium.

Niimi explains, "A dream (somnium in Latin) is a mysterious phenomenon. Since we are not usually subject to any outside stimulus while we sleep, dreams are phenomena that occur entirely within ourselves. In other words, there is something of which we have no conscious knowledge that lurks within us. This something might be equated with insanity.

My idea has been to portray something similar to insanity, although any literal depiction of insanity is totally impossible for the reason that music can exist only within a framework of order. This concept was the backdrop to this piece.

I cannot judge for myself whether the incomprehensible, the irrational and madness as experienced through mediums such as literature, painting, and the cinema make their appearance in this work. I shall be quite happy if I have merely managed to create a ‘beautiful’ work.

The work is structured in a single movement. Yasuaki Itakura and Toshio Nakagawa, who have generously taken it upon themselves to give the first performance, have been musical colleagues of mine for many years, and I composed this work with their respective personalities and outstanding musicality in mind.

I should like to take this opportunity to offer my thanks to everyone who contributed to the realization of the premiere of Somnium."

Akira Miyoshi's Six Préludes-Études for marimba with two mallets was commissioned by Takayoshi Yoshioka who premiered the work on October 24, 2001 in the Recital Hall at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan.


Kuniko Kato performs Akira Miyoshi's Six Préludes-Études.

Miyoshi's Six Préludes-Études are:
1. Scales
2. Chords
3. Combined tones
4. Chromatic scales
5. Counterpoint
6. Repeated notes (octaves)

The composer notes, "Takayoshi Yoshioka, who commissioned this piece, wrote to me pointing out that most contemporary marimba pieces are difficult both for the listener to appreciate and for the performer to play, since they call for the use of four mallets. He made the point that they are of little practical use for young people learning the instrument. Having myself composed for a piano tutor for children, I fully sympathized with his concerns and set about creating a set of studies in prelude form for marimba with two mallets. Each study focuses on a particular technical issue, and I strove to compose music that combines tonality with simplicity."

In addition, Hikaru Hayashi’s Symphony in G, Op. 2 (1953) was recently added to Zen-On’s rental catalog. Symphony in G was commissioned by Radio Tokyo who broadcast the premiere performance featuring the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, led by Jin Ueda, on November 23, 1953.


Yuzo Toyama & the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony perform Hikaru Hayashi's Symphony in G.

To learn more about Shin-Ichiro Ikebe, Kenji Sakai, Tokuhide Niimi, Akira Miyoshi, and Hikaru Hayashi, visit: zen-on.co.jp.

Shin-Ichiro Ikebe
Bivalence XII
for two harps
7'

Kenji Sakai
Etheric Visions II 
for alto saxophone
10'

Mixtures
for woodwind quintet
13'

Tokuhide Niimi
Somnium
for clarinet and piano
10.5'

Akira Miyoshi
Six Préludes-Études
for marimba with two mallets
10'

Hikaru Hayashi
Symphony in G, Op. 2
for orchestra
3(3.pic).2.2.2-4.3.3.1-timp-snare drum-hp-cel-str
35'

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