If you're familiar with Yoshimatsu's Memo Flora Concerto (1997), you can here many similarities between it and this work which was written (published?) in 1996. There are certain phrases in this work that appear in the concerto. Actually, the second Romance is basically copied into the end of Movement 2 from the Memo Flora. Very interesting to hear what may have inspired his piano concerto or at least was reused. I love all his works.
Yeah! Yoshimatsu likes to recycle some of materials from his pieces. He quoted No. 1 and 3 from his three waltzes quite a lot in the 2nd and third movement of his 4th symphony, and I also recall hearing a quote from Pleiades Dances IX in his 6th symphony. I'm pretty sure he has more quotations in his other pieces though.
Many uses this as an argument to discredit Yoshimatsu, but honestly, i dont know any composer who does not "recycle" material. I think is normal, even the greatest as Bach have a lot of recycled material. Is just normal, and proportional to the quantity of work you produce. The only difference with Yoshimatsu, i a that this guy is more transparent with that, his compositions are tender, cute, and melody focused something and academics get upset with that, they think that innovation must come in an extreme expression of a combinatorial or serialistic work.
Thank you for finding these recordings. To me, they are incredibly expressive and almost overwhelmingly beautiful, yet always organic and meaningful. They do justice to Yoshimatsu's works, which are unlike that of any other composer I've heard. As a music student who had become disillusioned with piano literature/performance, these recordings are healing in a way. Sorry, I must be in my feels.
I get you, yoshimatsu hits different. His pieces 'memo flora' and 'ode to birds' are the most 'natural' works i've ever heard. Hard to explain really. So glad op posted the sheet music
The score of this is on the book Regulus Circuit Piano Works, which also contains the 3 Waltzes, 4 Little Dream Songs, Piano Folio and Regulus Circuit. As far as I know the book is sold overseas in Amazon along with a bunch of other solo piano works of Yoshimatsu like the Pleiades Dances and also the pieces for left hand.
@@leafeon1975 It is published by Ongaku No Tomo. This set appears in the book "Regulus Circuit: Piano Works" along with other pieces like the 4 Little Dream Songs, 3 Waltzes, Piano Folio ... to a Disappeared Pleiad, and Regulus Circuit
The dreamy, fairy-tale-like atmosphere of the second romance really fits the theme "birthday". I wonder if it is a cultural thing specific to Japan. The "birthday" feels like a distant childhood memory, with a beauty which almost appears to be ameliorated from hindsight, too good to be true. The other-worldly carefreeness and naivety, feelings of being loved by someone.
and the pianist is so good at emotional ritardando / Rallentando, love the first romance's rall. That really brings me to a different world, into the G minor meno mosso
The opening really touches me for the repeated I chord (F Maj), going up to E then back down to I (traveling through the minor iv for a "mixed" feeling).
![Takashi Yoshimatsu - 2 Romances [with score]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
