Thank you Rique. Totally Yoshimatsu, but somehow different in a way I cannot place. Definite echoes of Symphonies 3 & 6 and the Marimba Concerto. Birds bring in the Prelude, which introduces the themes and styles that are then developed in the remarkable Toccata, exuberant and confident. Dark Steps is a Jazz scherzo that takes the theme on some dark steps indeed, but steps that have a hidden joyfulness. This is followed by an alluring Nocturne, a gentle pastoral, a bit of Japanese, a bit of Italian, a shared sense of nostalgia, that is briefly and lightly interrupted by a waltz of birds with echoes of the scherzo and toccata. The Anthem is Yoshimatsu the symphonist..
Around 12 minutes, a quote from the waltz movement of his 4th symphony, or perhaps something very similar. Originally played by horns, but now played ever so gently.
Although this piece is not new and was composed in 2009, no recording of it existed for a long time. A new recording including this piece was released last year.
Takashi Yoshimatsu has such varied styles. I discovered him 2 days ago and am loving his music! He is brilliant! This is absolutely wonderful! Thank you for posting this.
Thanks for all the music! Quick question, have you ever gotten copyright striked from uploading Yoshimatsu's music? Wondering if I could use his music in a short travel vlog
Originally, Japanese people did not attach serious meaning to music. Japanese music was more easy-going. I love the music of Mahler, Stravinsky, and Bartok, but I think it's culturally inevitable that Japanese people look to music for some kind of salvation. The thumbnails you give for the music are very nice.
What they attached to music wasn't something less serious, but rather something more spiritual. The others you mentioned composed with styles steeped in ideas of human emotions and experience. Anguish, pain, happiness, desire, tragedy, and victory. Japanese composers tend to compose in a style meant to speak towards those things beyond immediate human emotions and perspective. Something more nastolgic and filled with retrospect and memories of the past, the idea of souls fluttering like birds and the world from the view of nature. This piece is itself titled as a reflection on youth. I think that's what's special about japanese composition. It's not about the immediate experience of humanity, but rather about taking a step back and looking at the whole picture or reflection on aspects of the overall experience.
Humorous ghost, what you say is very meaningful. There is room to consider whether what you are saying applies to all Japanese composers. In any case, I believe that this was the very history of modern Western music. Please also listen to works by other Japanese composers. yuri umemoto or shoichi yabuta etc.
thanks for your reply. I don't know where you live, but It seems like you know a lot of Japanese music. I learned about "Roh Ogura" from you. It reminds me of "Walton" in England and "Korngold" in America. “Ifukube” is famous for its Godzilla music.
![Takashi Yoshimatsu [吉松 隆]: Sinfonia in Birds ‘To the birds of youth’, Op. 107](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
