48th Kyushu Performance Tour Report

48Japan Philharmonic Kyushu Tour

Text and photos by Kazu Watanabe

◆What's special about the Japan Philharmonic Kyushu Tour?◆

　For professional orchestras, concert tours are an everyday occurrence, but the Japan Philharmonic's Kyushu concert, held every February since 1975, is something special.

　After all, it's not a profit-making performance organized by a promoter who invites musicians, nor is it a public cultural event funded by a local cultural foundation. Music fans living in 10 Kyushu cities formed voluntary organizations such as the "Performance Executive Committee" and the "Japan Philharmonic Association," and the tour was organized by the local executive committees and the Japan Philharmonic, with the expenses shared between them. Each city's executive committee independently seeks out sponsors and sets appropriate ticket prices that are commensurate with the costs, with tickets basically sold by hand in the old-fashioned way.

　The tour's character, born out of the appreciation circle that reached its peak during Japan's period of rapid economic growth and the union organization that is the root of support for the current Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, remains even now, in the 21st century and the 20s. For an orchestra where there is no one among the members or secretariat who knows what it was like half a century ago, the Kyushu tour, welcomed by people who experienced the atmosphere of 48 years ago, is also a journey to reaffirm one's roots.

　The tour, now in its 48th year (excluding performances from the year before last when they were canceled due to the COVID-2 pandemic), will visit 10 cities in 7 prefectures over 13 days, from National Foundation Day on February 11th to the Emperor's Birthday on the 23rd. While the journey from Kokura, which is served by the Kyushu Shinkansen, to Kagoshima is not particularly difficult, traveling across Kyushu from Kumamoto to Oita, and between Oita, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima, where public transportation and expressway networks are not well developed, is not easy.

　The tour is directly invited by music fans in each region, and the program and guest performers are decided in consultation between the organizers and the orchestra, rather than the orchestra imposing its schedule on the destinations. This time, the soloists are Haruma Sato (cello) and Manami Kobayashi (piano), and the conductor is Junichi Hirokami, a friend of the JPO (artistic advisor), making for a popular lineup.

　The programs the orchestra presented throughout Kyushu consisted of two parts: one that directly conveyed the appeal of a large orchestra, centered around Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, and another, more German-style, smaller-scale piece featuring Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, with a two-horn arrangement and one assisted horn. For the concerto, Sato played the original version of Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations, while Kobayashi, at his own request, played two Chopin pieces, making this a tour that attracted much attention from people in the music industry.

　A special program with a small orchestra will be prepared for Karatsu, where the city's main hall is currently undergoing renovations. Yamaguchi Osamu, a master guitarist from Nagasaki who accompanied the Japan Philharmonic on their European tour, will take advantage of the small orchestra's presence by performing the Concierto de Aranjuez. Considering the rehearsals and expenses involved, this arrangement is not possible on a regular concert tour, but it is a result of the deep ties between the Japan Philharmonic and Kyushu. Members also conducted outreach activities in Omuta, the first city in the Kyushu region to sign an "Agreement to Promote Urban Development through Music." Below, we take a quick look at what was happening in each location on the tour.

◆With the people of Kyushu13Sun

　The venue for the opening night matinee performance was the Kitakyushu Soleil Hall, a multi-purpose hall with approximately 2000 seats. Long known as the "Koseinenkin Kaikan," this large venue is managed by members of the organizing "Japan Philharmonic Orchestra Kitakyushu Performance Executive Committee." Volunteers of all ages, from retired people to high school students, were busy. Approximately 7% of the spacious auditorium was filled, and the performance began with a profound Polonaise from Eugene Onegin. Young star Haruma Sato then captivated the audience with a virtuoso cadenza from Variations on a Rococo Theme. The colorful Symphony No. 4 was followed by an encore waltz from the Serenade for Strings, bringing the Tchaikovsky-filled afternoon to a close.

　After a Sunday matinee at the Kumamoto Prefectural Theater Concert Hall, hosted by the Kumamoto Japan Philharmonic Association and featuring the same program and soloists as on the first day, the tour headed to Oita, where the Japan Philharmonic Oita Performance Executive Committee was waiting for us on the only three-day travel day of the tour. The modern, post-bubble venue seated approximately 1300 people. In addition to local executive committee volunteers, staff from the co-sponsoring Oita Prefectural Cultural Promotion Foundation were also on hand. Perhaps due to the area's status as an international tourist destination, there were also many international tourists in attendance. Eugene Onegin throbbed, and Kobayashi Manami's delicate rendition of Chopin's Symphony No. 2, carefully handled the soft notes. This was her third rehearsal with the maestro in Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, and she was completely masterful. It was an evening of exceptionally high caliber performance.

　From the following day, the 15th to the 18th, the orchestra will perform the same piece as in Oita at the Medikit Prefectural Cultural Center Isaac Stern Hall, sponsored by the Japan Philharmonic Kyushu Performance Miyazaki Executive Committee, and the first performance of Beethoven's Pro Symphony No. 7 in front of a packed audience at Kagoshima Houzan Hall, sponsored by the Japan Philharmonic Kagoshima Performance Executive Committee. Returning to Fukuoka, the orchestra will perform a matinee at the ACROS Fukuoka Symphony Hall, sponsored by the Japan Philharmonic Fukuoka Performance Executive Committee. The Japan Philharmonic will travel counterclockwise around three-quarters of Kyushu.

　The second Sunday of the tour took them to Omuta, at the southern tip of Fukuoka. Members of the Omuta Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and city staff were waiting in the 1500-seat Omuta Cultural Hall, where the mayor also visited. Perhaps because Omuta City had invited elementary school students as part of an agreement, many in school uniforms were seen in the audience. As soon as the Magic Flute Overture ended, Kobayashi appeared, performing Chopin's No. 1. His eloquence, without being overly vocal, was no different from that of the No. 2. After Beethoven's No. 7 had the audience in a frenzy, the executive committee, along with orchestra members and staff who were due to travel the next day, quietly gathered for a birthday celebration to remember the former Secretary General.

　The next morning, four string players visited a hospital in Omuta City, conducting two challenging outreach activities: one for seniors and one for young children. While the orchestra continued on to Nagasaki, the tourist destination of Nagasaki was particularly sensitive to the spread of infection, forcing the hall to temporarily close and cancel performances last year. This was the first time the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra had visited in a long time, and the 950-seat, mid-sized multipurpose hall, with its retro Showa-era feel, was overflowing with audience members and volunteer staff before the 4:18 PM performance. Despite it being a weekday evening, many retired people were spotted, dressed casually. The Magic Flute Overture featured a direct sound, centered on live acoustics. The highly anticipated Concierto de Aranjuez is a challenging piece to perform live while maintaining guitar volume, but the venue's scale was just right. It's no wonder that Hirokami's Beethoven No. 7 would be a hit in this venue.

　The Karatsu Japan Philharmonic Orchestra is also located in Karatsu, in northern Saga Prefecture. While the Civic Hall's main hall is currently under construction, the venue is the Ochi Cultural Center Sarai Hall, across the Matsuura River from Ochi Station, an unmanned station about 20 minutes away on the JR Karatsu Line from Karatsu Station. The 320-seat auditorium was nearly full before the 18:1 PM start, and the volunteer staff included high school students in uniform. The first half of the concert was a solo recital by Yamaguchi Osamu. Featuring Hirokami, Grieg's "From Holberg's Time" sounded like a large orchestra. The main piece, the "Concierto de Aranjuez," required no PA equipment in a space of this size. Lasting just over an hour without a break, it was the most extravagant and special concert of the tour.

　The tour's final day took place at the Saga City Cultural Center Grand Hall, a massive 1800-seat venue in the prefectural capital. Members of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra Saga Performance Executive Committee were busy preparing for the matinee performance. At first glance, it appears to be an ordinary Showa-era community center, but it's a renowned hall that was praised by maestro Lazarev as having the best acoustics in Kyushu. Following the Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, a well-rested Kobayashi Manami performed the lyrical Symphony No. 2, drawing thunderous applause. Hirokami's subtle tempo fluctuations were fully mastered in the Tchaikovsky No. 4, and the full sound of the large orchestra reverberated throughout the hall without a trace of confusion in the finale, bringing the 13th tour to a close.