Japanese contemporary music evening and performance

Keep your eyes on the Far East! Says a widely shared view that the future of classical music lies not only in Europe and the United States, but also in Asia. It is not just the young virtuoso musicians that are discovered year in year out that mark the rise of the East, but also the fusion that is creating its own colours and forms by bringing together the two worlds. The First Far Eastern Classical Music Festival, launched by Gábor Farkas, showcases the rich musical culture of Japan. Sunday evening's gala concert will focus on bamboo instruments and the classic sounds of Japanese music.

In 1989, when the bipolar world was abolished, the late Toru Takemitsu – a legendary Japanese composer – wrote in the columns of a contemporary music magazine that “it is the artist's task to form a bridge (...). For the Japanese to learn from the West, and for all Westerners – Europeans and Americans – to appreciate Eastern culture. No matter how difficult and serious the task, we cannot put it off." Takemitsu is joined in this concert by two other generations of composers. Miho Hazama, who is in his thirties now and equally at home in the classical and orchestral jazz genres, having been previously awarded the Charlie Parker Jazz Prize and nominated for a Grammy Award. A Suntory Music Prize winner, Toshio Hosokawa, whose oeuvre spans four decades and includes a Shakespearean adaptation and a tribute to the victims of Hiroshima, is slowly maturing into an undisputed authority on Japanese music. His workshop includes three short pieces, including a piano trio.

Programme

Miho Hazama: Kingdom of Copenblue - for Alto sax and Piano
Contributors: István Kohán (clarinet), Kaisei Mizuno (piano)

Toru Takemitsu: Rain Tree Sketch II
Contributor: Kaisei Mizuno (piano)

Toshio Hosokawa: Elegy
Contributor: Luosha Fang (violin)

Toshio Hosokawa: Edi
Contributor: István Kohán (clarinet)

Toshio Hosokawa: Piano Trio
Contributors: Chiharu Taki (violin), Yusuke Shimizu (cello), Kaisei Mizuno (piano)