Japon: Yoshikazu Iwamoto L'Esprit Du Silence (The Spirit Of Silence)

Yoshikazu Iwamoto's reputation was first established in Japan through his outstanding concert appearances and by his many performances on radio and television, since when his playing has taken him around the world: In 1975 he was invited to Copenhagen where he gave concerts and also appeared on Danish television. In 1975-76 he was artist- in-residence at Wesleyan University, Connecticut, U.S.A. 1980 took him to Brazil and Argentina, and 1981 to Munich, Cologne and other cities in W. Germany. In 1983, he appeared in both the Bratislava Music Festival and the Brno International Music Festival, Czechoslovakia, and he also performed in the Republic of Ireland. In 1984 he gave concerts in Hungary and Rumania. In 1985 he toured Australia as a soloist with a major Japanese Symphonic Orchestra, giving concerts in Brisbane and Sydney, In 1986 he presented two recitals for the Almeida International Festival of Contemporary Music and Performance in London. In the same year he performed in Rome, Baden-Baden and Oxford, his concert in Baden-Baden being broacast live from Sudwestfunk. In 1987 he was invited to Belglum to give recitals ih Brussels and Gent. In autumn 1987 he gave 26 performances as on-stage musician with the English National Opera at Coliseum, London. In March to April 1988, he played in Vienna, Zurich, Bern and Brussels. In May 1988, he participated in "Points of Contacts",. three day celebration of New Electro-Acoustic Music by Young British Composers at the South Bank Centre. In October 1988, he was invited to play a duo concert with Pierre-Yves Artaud at Antidogma Musica International Music Festival in Torino, Italy. Since 1982 Yoshikazu Iwamoto has been artist-in-residence at Dartington College of Arts in the U.K. BBC Radio 3 has featured him in a series of four programmes on the shakuhachi.

1. Shisi :: Lion
2. Koko :: Empty Sky
3. Shingetsu :: Moon Of The Heart
4. Shin Ya :: Deep Night
5. San'ya Sugagaki :: Three Valleys
6. Matsukaze :: Wind Through Pine Trees

Credits to "chattemao"

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Watazumi Doso Roshi - Hotchiku

Watazumi Doso Roshi
Hotchiku, 2000

Watazumido Doso Roshi (1910-1992) is perhaps the most legendary of all modern shakuhachi players and teachers. Amongst his many students is Yokoyama Katsuya, one of greatest players in Japan today.
Regarding himself as something other than a musician, Watazumido based his music in an uncompromising vigorous physical discipline. He was a practitioner of the Jo stick, a long hardwood pole with which he used to stretch, massage, pounds and invigorate his body in a daily regimen beginning at 3:30 AM each day. For over 3,000 consecutive days, he maintained this discipline.
Watazumido studied Rinzai Zen attaining the title of Roshi or Master and later became the Kanjo or unifying head of the Fuke sect of Zen Buddhism. He shunned traditional organized Zen practice for 32 years in favor of his own iconoclastic approach distinguished by breath training and vigorous exercise at its core. The lengthening of the "Out Breath" in his practice is directly descended from the wisdom of the breath as practiced in Zen.
Watazumido's music is as unique as it is intense. His style of shakuhachi playing is based on a discipline combining Zen breath awareness and the martial arts. He is known for the blowing an original, personal style of Honkyoku on bamboos of enormous size and length called hotchiku flutes.

01. Saji
02. Watazumi no shirabe
03. Sugagaki
04. Mushirabe
05. Suzuru
06. Sanya
07. Sanan
08. Kudariba (Kansai)
09. Kudariba (Oshu)
10. Kokuji
11. Tamuke
12. Hifumi no shirabe
13. Honshirabe
14. Reiho
15. Shingetsu

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Japan. Semiclassical and Folk Music

Japan. Semiclassical and Folk Music
Auvidis/UNESCO D 8016, 1989 (1974)

Like the Kabuki theatre, Koto music is dear to the hearts of the Japanese.

So is the Shakuhachi flute, a symbol of Japanese culture known all over the world. But genuinely popular music such as the songs for festivals and village dances, street music and work songs are little known.

Semiclassical Music
1. Naga-Uta - Kanjincho
2. Koto Duet - Godan-Kinuta
3. Shakuhachi Duet - Shika-No-Tone
Folk Music
4. Tsugaru Yama-Uta
5. Awa-Odori
6. Tairyo Utaikomi
7. Hatoma-Bushi
8. Edo Matsuri Bayashi

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The Kyoto Nohgaku Kai - Japanese Noh Music

The Kyoto Nohgaku Kai
Japanese Noh Music, 1993

Ghosts of warriors and noble ladies, demons, deities, passion and insanity - these are the subjects of the famed Noh plays of Japan. Rarely heard in the west, this collection, produced and recorded in Japan by Kasumasa Takasago, captures Noh drama at its most compelling - moving, unsettling and unforgettable.

1. Deha
2. Nakairiraigyo
3. Jo No Mai
4. Otokomai
5. Sagariha
6. Kammai
7. Gaku
8. Kagura
9. Hagoromo

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Tradition and Avantgarde in Japan - Japanese Music for Voice, Koto, and Shamisen

Tradition and Avantgarde in Japan. Japanese Music for Voice, Koto, and Shamisen. Biennale Neue Musik Hannover 1999

Recorded live at the 1999 Biennale Neue Musik in Hannover, this well-filled CD's title gives an accurate idea of its contents,which to western ears are strange but beautiful, whether traditional or avantgarde. The koto is a form of zither,and the shamisen a kind of lute, but the vocal sounds are uniquely Japanese!

1. Yoshizawa Kengyo II - Chidori no kyoku 11:43
2. YYamada Kengyo - Nasuno 17:52
4. Toshio Hosokawa - Nocturne 12:36
5. Toshio Hosokawa atsuhashi Kengyo - Hachidan no shirabe 10:45
3. - Banka 9:26
6. Toshio Hosokawa - Koto-uta 10:23

Japanese music for Voice, Koto, and Shamisen, by Yoshizawa Kengyô II (1808-1872), Yatsuhashi Kengyô (1614-1685), Yamada Kengyô (1757-1817), and Toshio Hosokawa (b.1955).

Sumi Tani - vocals, koto
Makiko Gotô - koto, jûshichigen
Hideko Yamagishi - koto
Michiyo Kusama - shamisen

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Japanese Traditional Music [10] - Percussion

TRACK LISTINGS

1. Daitenryu
2. Suwa-Ikazuchi
3. Gojinjõ-Daiko
4. Gion Bayashi
5. Kanda-Bayashi
6. Sawara-Bayashi
7. Chichibu Yatai Bayashi

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Japanese Traditional Music [9] - Shamisen II

TRACK LISTINGS

[01]. Nagauta; Genroku Hanami Odori
[02]. Hauta; Harusame
[03]. Hauta; Ume Wa Saitaka
[04]. Kouta; Yozakura
[05]. Kouta; Hara No Tatsutokya
[06]. Zokkyoku; Sanosa
[07]. Zokkyoku; Kiyari Kuzushi
[08]. Zokkyoku; Dodoitsu
[09]. Jiuta; Yuki
[10]. Jiuta-Sakumono; Kyokunezumi

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Japanese Traditional Music [8] - Shamisen

ShamisenA three-string plucked lute from Japan, since the 17th century a popular contributor to all forms of folk and art music. Standard tunings are b-e′-b″, b-f#′-b′ and b-e′-a′. The shamisen is played with an ivory plectrum; its distinctive sound is caused by a cavity in its long neck which allows the lowest strings to vibrate against the wood.
TRACK LISTINGS

(01) [Japanese Traditional Music] Gidayuu; Kiyari Ondo
(02) [Japanese Traditional Music] Gidayuu; Nozakimura no Dan
(03) [Japanese Traditional Music] Kiyomoto; Kanda Matsuri
(04) [Japanese Traditional Music] Tokiwazu; Yuuzuki Sendou
(05) [Japanese Traditional Music] Shin-nai; Akegarasu
(06) [Japanese Traditional Music] Shin-nai; Ranchou
(07) [Japanese Traditional Music] Shin-nai; Nagashi

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Japanese Traditional Music [7] - Sankyoku

This is a very good CD of Sankyoku music, that being a kind of Japanese chamber music with vocals and usually at least three instruments: the koto (zither), the shamisen (kind of like a banjo), and the shakuhachi (flute). The CD tracks all feature selections that are standard classics of the Sankyoku repertoire, so this makes for a great introduction to this musical form. The blend of the different instruments is really appealing, and the vocals (which I often find a bit distracting in Japanese music) work pretty well here after a little getting used to. Another plus, track 2 has one of the all time great koto musicians, Sawai Tadao.

This CD was originally produced in Japan, so the text on the back and on the notes is bilingual (Japanese and English). The liner notes are extensive in Japanese and even include the lyrics to the vocals, but the English part is a bit skimpy. Also, the CD case comes in an attractive CD slip-box (an unusual format here in the States) that also helps protect the actual case itself from the usual wear and tear.

All in all this is fine, elegant music very well-packaged. It's too bad the series of which this is CD #7 is becoming more and more of a rarity nowadays. Get it while you can, I guess.

TRACK LISTINGS

1. Yaegoromo (Ishikawa Koto) - Yonekawa Toshiko
2. Hagi No Tsuyu (Ikuyama Kengyo) - Tadao Sawaï
3. Sho-Chiku-Bai (Mitsuhashi Koto) - Sato Chikaki,

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Japanese Traditional Music [6] - Sou

TRACK LISTINGS

(01) [Japanese Traditional Music] Rokudan
(02) [Japanese Traditional Music] Midare
(03) [Japanese Traditional Music] Godan - Ginuta
(04) [Japanese Traditional Music] Chidori No Kyoku
(05) [Japanese Traditional Music] Aki No Kyoku

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Japanese Traditional Music [5] - Shakuhachi

shakuhachi
Japanese end-blown bamboo flute. Its notes are produced by blowing across the open upper end, resulting in a distinctively breathy tone. It has five fingerholes. The shakuhachi is of great antiquity; it has been widely played as a solo instrument and in small ensembles, especially with the koto and samisen (a fretless lute).

Small end-blown Japanese bamboo NOTCHED FLUTE. It was imported from China by the 8th century but reached its modern form in the 15th. The standard instrument is 54. 5 cm long and has four finger-holes and a thumb-hole, producing the approximate notes d′-f′-g′-a′-c″; it is widely used in all forms of Japanese folk and art music.

TRACK LISTINGS

(01) [Japanese Traditional Music] Shika No Tone
(02) [Japanese Traditional Music] Hifumi - Hachigaeshi No Shirabe
(03) [Japanese Traditional Music] Sanya Sugagaki
(04) [Japanese Traditional Music] Tsuru No Sugomori
(05) [Japanese Traditional Music] Umibe No Yubae
(06) [Japanese Traditional Music] Toge Hachiri
(07) [Japanese Traditional Music] Kojo No Tsuki

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Japanese Traditional Music [4] - BIWA

This CD offers a collection of traditional Japanese pieces for the Biwa, the Japanese lute, which came to Japan from China at the end of the first millennium. The Biwa and its playing remained pretty much the same as it was 800 to 1,000 years ago, while the Chinese Pi-pa, its ancestor, has changed quite considerably, becoming a more virtuosic instrument. The instrument is unfortunately losing popularity in Japan among youngsters mainly because of the influence of Western music, as is the case in many Asian countries. There are solo pieces (the first two pieces) as well as old epic stories and songs accompanied by the Biwa (the four others). Three different schools of playing the Biwa are presented: the Satsuma-Biwa, the Chikuzen-Biwa, and Heike-Biwa. The Biwa was originally played by blind monks, and the Heike-Biwa is the most popular. ~ Bruno Deschênes, All Music Guide

A beautiful biwa brought to Japan through the Silk Road is preserved at Shoso-In in Nara prefecture. Japan's oldest epic tale, Heike Monogatari (the Story of Heike) is sung to biwa accompaniment. There are three playing styles of biwa, Heike Monogatari featuring all three; the noble and profound Heike biwa, the wild Satsuma biwa and the graceful Chikuzan biwa.

Haru No Utage
Chikuzen Shokyoku
Kawanakajima
Arsumori
Gionshoja
Gionshoja

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Japanese Traditional Music [3] - KABUKI

KABUKI

Popular Japanese entertainment that combines music, dance, and mime in highly stylized performances. The word is written using three Japanese characters — ka ("song"), bu ("dance"), and ki ("skill"). Kabuki dates from the end of the 16th century, when it developed from the nobility's no theatre and became the theatre of townspeople. In its early years it had a licentious reputation, its actors often being prostitutes; women and young boys were consequently forbidden to perform, and kabuki is today performed by an adult all-male cast. Its texts, unlike no texts, are easily understood by its audience. The lyrical but fast-moving and acrobatic plays, noted for their spectacular staging, elaborate costumes, and striking makeup in place of masks, are vehicles in which the actors demonstrate a wide range of skills. Kabuki employs two musical ensembles, one onstage and the other offstage. It shares much of its repertoire with bunraku, a traditional puppet theatre.

Traditional form of Japanese theatre, including dance numbers and purely dramatic plays. It is accompanied by offstage music (wood blocks, gongs, xylophone, bells etc, for sound effects), as well as on-stage musicians (singers and shamisen, or lute, players).

Japanese form of dance theatre dating back to the 16th century. Kabuki means song, dance, and acting, although the term originally meant shocking or strange, in reference to the form's unusual style, and it originated in shows given by O-Kuni, a dancer and lay priestess from the Izmumo region, and her all-female troupe. They were very popular in Kyoto where they performed a fusion of prayer dance, folk dance, comic mime, and erotic dance. This mix evolved into dance dramas whose populist style contrasted with the refined and aristocratic noh theatre. Part of their popularity derived from their overtly erotic content which led to a ban on women appearing in kabuki performances (from 1629) and on boys (from 1652). Adult male dancers thus took over the kabuki style, creating the profession of female impersonator or onnagata which became an honoured calling for which boys were trained from childhood. Kabuki evolved through four basic stages, its works originally taking their inspiration from historical sagas, then tending more towards dance, then concentrating on folk stories, and finally aiming for more contemporary narratives. In its classic form kabuki is an integrated mix of dance, gesture, music, costume, make-up, and vivid stage effects. Performances tend to be long by Western standards and slow moving, but are rich in imagery and emotion. Two famous works are Chushingura (The Forty-Seven Loyal Samurai), a historical tale of honour and revenge, and Sumidagawa (The Sumida River), the story of a mad woman's search for her lost son. Kabuki dance troupes (as distinct from kabuki theatre troupes) also now give independent performances, with both male and female artists taking part.

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HERE

Ensemble Yonin no Kaï - Japon. Sankyoku

Ensemble Yonin no Kaï
Japon. Sankyoku
Ocora, C 560070, 1994

The Japanese word "sankyoku" translates into a koto, shakuhachi, and shaimsen trio. The koto, dating from the second century AD, is a 13-stringed zither and the root of Japanese Gagaku court music. Its history is rich and varied and it has gone through many periods of popularity and disfavor; it has become of interest to many in the west for its vast tonal range and dynamic possibilities. The shaimsen is a three-stringed lute whose roots lie in ancient Egypt. It did not make an appearance until the 16th century. The shakuhachi played the role of an accompaniment instrument to Gagaku music; it was introduced around the eighth century. The music performed here by the Yonin No Kaï Ensemble dates back only to the 17th century; as no music for either koto of shaimsen exists before that time. The koto music comes from a monk named Kenjun. The program highlights the pairing together of the koto and shaimsen, as well as one piece for trio setting and two for
shakuhachi solos. Another features a quartet composed of the trio and a vocalist singing poems, and the opening piece -- a haunting work from the 17th century -- for two kotos. All of the works included here are very long. This is as foreign as music gets, particularly the older works, which can feature two time measures and as many as 104 beats in each one. To the untrained Western ear (which also hears a different musical scale than the Japanese), these pieces sound arrhythmic and perhaps chaotic. What makes them less intimidating is the gentleness and subtlety of the attack on a given instrument; whether it be a solo instrument like the shakuhachi or in ensemble playing where the shaimsen or koto solo. Everything is held in; music reveals itself slowly, over time, in the Japanese folk and court traditions. Even in works from the early part of the 20th century, this rule holds true and is perhaps more apparent. An example is "Iwashimizu" (Spring Among
the Rocks)," written around 1904 by Nakao Tozan for shakuhachi solo. The tones of the flute, which are breathy and airy, are held for long periods of time over measures and then rounded off as they enter new melodic territory. It's as if the flute were an instrument of melody and drone simultaneously. In any case, this is a gorgeous, quiet, meditative volume of historical music played by the premier folk ensemble in Japan and an excellent introduction not only to the instruments, but to the history of Japanese music. The package comes with exhaustive notes about the instruments; their place in history, and the music in the program.

1. Hachi dan: duo de koto (9:41)
2. Kokû: solo de shakuhachi (6:28)
3. Shin-kinuta: shamisen et koto (12:19)
4. Zangetsu: chant, shamisen, koto et shakuhachi (21:38)
5. Iwashimizu: solo de shakuhachi (9:58)

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Japanese Traditional Music [2] - Gagaku

This is an album of traditional Japanese gagaku music, with the full traditional ensemble. The album contains works of all of the major categories of gagaku, kangen (solely instrumental), bugaku samai (dances of the Left-Chinese origin), and bugaku umai (dances of the Right-Korean origin). Also included is "Azuma Asobi," a song of native Japanese origin. The music is performed by Kunaicho Gakubu, which is the Music Department of the Imperial Household Agency, the Imperial court musicians, who all have a relatively large amount of experience under their belts. The music is representative of all gagaku music, with the sho's (mouth organs) placing a quasi-melody under the music, and the hichiriki (oboes) providing a somber melody. The music of gagaku is nearly always given in an almost otherworldly way, and this is no exception. There are other recordings of gagaku out there, but this one is relatively similar to all of them. Lyrichord's album of the Kyoto Imperial Court Orchestra may be the best recording for those new to the sound, as it reprises both the ritualistic side of the music as well as the artistic side, but this one isn't bad either. ~ Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide

TRACK LISTINGS

(01) [Japanese Traditional Music] ETENRAKU - HYOUJOU NETORI
(02) [Japanese Traditional Music] ETENRAKU - ETENRAKU
(03) [Japanese Traditional Music] KISHUNRAKU - OUSHIKICHOU CHOUSHI
(04) [Japanese Traditional Music] KISHUNRAKU - KISHUNRAKU NO JO
(05) [Japanese Traditional Music] KISHUNRAKU - KISHUNRAKU NO HA
(06) [Japanese Traditional Music] SEIGAIHA - BANSHIKICHOU NETORI
(07) [Japanese Traditional Music] SEIGAIHA - SEIGAIHA
(08) [Japanese Traditional Music] KITOKU - KOMA ICHIKOTSUCHOU KONETORI
(09) [Japanese Traditional Music] KITOKU - KITOKU NO HA
(10) [Japanese Traditional Music] KITOKU - KITOKU NO KYUU
(11) [Japanese Traditional Music] AZUMAASOBI - MOTOMEKO NO UTADASHI
(12) [Japanese Traditional Music] AZUMAASOBI - MOTOMEKO NO UTA

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Japanese Traditional Music [1] - NOUGAKU

TRACK LISTINGS

(01) [Japanese Traditional Music] OSHIRABE - SANBASOU
(02) [Japanese Traditional Music] MOMI NO DAN
(03) [Japanese Traditional Music] SUZU NO DAN
(04) [Japanese Traditional Music] JO NO MAI (TAIKO IRI)
(05) [Japanese Traditional Music] CHUU NO MAI (TAIKO IRI)
(06) [Japanese Traditional Music] HAYA MAI
(07) [Japanese Traditional Music] SHIMO NO TAKANE
(08) [Japanese Traditional Music] KAGURA
(09) [Japanese Traditional Music] SHISHI [SHAKKYOU] YORI

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