Release of "Otaka Atsutada: Orchestral Works" Related interview: Junichi Hirokami
"Good is good, that is the music of Professor Odaka" - Release of orchestral works by composer Atsutada Odaka, who passed away on February 16th
Junichi Hirokami (conductor)
Yukihiro Masumi (Deputy Secretary General/Head of Planning and Production, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra)
Interviewer: Naxos Japan
20212Mon26Tokyo
*The interview was conducted with infection control measures in place.
- First of all, it is very unfortunate that Dr. Atsutada Odaka passed away on February 16th from colon cancer. We were in the midst of preparing to release this recording, so we are also deeply shocked by this news.
Junichi Hirokami (hereafter, Hirokami): It seems that Professor Odaka had even checked the galley proofs for this album's cover, and I had a long phone call with him three days before he passed away, so it was a really sudden event. When I was learning music from him, he would often scold me, saying, "You're a lazy person," but the fact that he passed away so soon makes me want to say, "Professor, you were just too impatient, no matter how you look at it."
Coincidentally, February 16th is also the anniversary of the death of his father (composer and conductor Naotada Otaka). The day before was his wife's birthday, so I wonder if she had been working hard up until that day.
Just when I thought I could finally be a good teacher again, this happened, and I guess that's just how life is, but right now I feel like an empty shell.
"You're too impatient."10Mr. Hirokami talks about his teacher who passed away days ago.
- I understand that Professor Otaka and Professor Hirokami were senior and junior students at the same high school (Shonan Gakuen High School), and also had a teacher-student relationship, so you have a deep connection. Could you tell us more about your relationship?
Hirokami: I first met Mr. Odaka when I was in high school. At the time, I was obsessed with Junko Sakurada (laughs) and my grades weren't good at school, so someone said to me, "Your only good point is music, so I'll introduce you to a great teacher," and that was Mr. Odaka. At the time, Mr. Odaka was 30 years old and had just returned from studying abroad in Paris, and I was 16, a first-year high school student.
My teacher taught me piano and music theory, but because I was lazy, I always showed up without studying piano or theory, and he would tell me, "You'll be unhappy if you keep doing things like this" (laughs). On the other hand, he would say, "If you go further, you'll have this joy," and play a four-part fugue study on the piano, giving me a glimpse of how he had mastered "ecriture" in Paris. Seeing this, I thought to myself as a child, "Am I following an incredible genius?"
I took lessons until I entered university, and my teacher taught me at an impressionable age what it means to "play music," which goes beyond conducting or playing the piano or violin. I believe that thanks to that, someone like me is now able to make a living from music.
For example, I have performed many times with the great pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy, who once said to me, "Everyone practices their fingers, but technique is something that should be acquired as a means to an end, and it comes first from the desire to express oneself." I thought I had heard this somewhere before, and it turns out it was something that Professor Otaka had said to me when I was in high school.
- Since becoming a conductor, you have frequently conducted works by Professor Otaka.
Hirokami: Actually, when I was in high school, I wanted to be a conductor, and one day my music teacher selected me to conduct a three-part female chorus in the school's music course. For that purpose, he wrote a new piece for me. This was the first time I conducted one of his works, and in June of this year, I will be conducting a version of that work that he orchestrated and arranged for a mixed chorus.
Since becoming a conductor, I have recorded some of his works with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra in Sweden, and I also conducted the premiere of his "Piano Concerto." Then, in June, I will be performing the world premiere of his posthumous "Violin Concerto" with Kyoko Yonemoto and the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra. This piece was written while he was battling cancer, and it was very painful to hear him say, "This piece isn't like me. It ends quietly."
- What kind of pieces are the "Symphony" and "Piano Concerto" being released this time?
Hirokami: The concerto's soloist, Kiyotaka Noda, is also a junior of ours from high school, and is a truly wonderful pianist. His teacher was very fond of him, and said to him, "I'd love for you guys to perform the concerto together. I'm writing it now," so we decided to premiere it. I believe that at least the piano part was written with Noda in mind.
Rehearsal of the "Piano Concerto" (from left: Hirokami, Noda, and Otaka)
Later, Professor Tadaaki was featured by the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, and the soloist on that occasion, Kazune Shimizu, who normally does not like to play contemporary music, said that this piece was wonderful and sang it with great enthusiasm.
What both pieces have in common is that they are intense. The magma-like energy inside you, which is the core of that, is somewhat similar to Beethoven.
The slow movement (second movement) shows his tenderness and sadness, but the final movement gives the feeling that he is once again fighting fiercely.
On the other hand, comparing the two works, the Concerto seems to project more of your own character. The piano is "himself," the orchestra is "the world," and it feels like he is engaging in a conversation with the world. In contrast, the Symphony feels more formal.
And my impression is that rather than taking a lofty stance, he sprinkles throughout his work an attitude that says he will never destroy the beauty of "sound" under any circumstances, and that no matter what contemporary musical techniques emerge, the true role of a musician is to seek the "beauty of sound."
Mr. Otaka (left) and Mr. Hirokami (right) respond to the applause of the audience after performing "Symphony Beyond Time"
- As a conductor, you have performed a variety of pieces. What do you feel are the characteristics of Otaka's works?
Hirokami: From the perspective of someone who has conducted, I think that your orchestrations, like Beethoven's, have a "clumsy" quality. Refined and unrefined parts alternate. From the performer's perspective, it's fascinating to see how you can create that. You also used to say with a bit of embarrassment, "This part depends on your skill. As a piece, it's a bit weak," and you were the kind of person who would "leave it up to the performers."
And although the piece is technically quite difficult to perform, the musicians worked hard to master it. That's because it has such musical appeal that they want to master it. I could really feel that. The performers are like carpenters on the job site, but Sensei had a good understanding of how the performers feel and how to communicate with them. I think this is because he was a master pianist himself. His teacher, Yashiro Akio, was apparently the same, and he had incredible sight-reading ability and music-reading skills.
And above all, I think the appeal of the teacher's works is that they may be difficult to sing along to, but they are also very catchy.
"My teacher was the type of person who would 'leave it up to the performers.'"
-I would like even people who don't normally listen to "contemporary music" or "Japanese works" to listen to this.
Hirokami: In the world of so-called contemporary music, chaotic music that makes you want to cover your ears, or music like that of John Cage, was popular, but you never wavered in your stance that you were making "music," notating music, and creating "works." More than anything, I think the silence of the audience when you performed your pieces, and the enthusiastic applause afterwards, prove that your attitude was correct.
I also think that the Japanese are still harboring a mindset that dates back to the Rokumeikan era, where they are overly strict with their own people, yet at the same time worship foreign things written in katakana.
I think it's important to have an attitude of examining each individual piece individually, without being bound by things like the fact that it's contemporary music or the country of the composer.
- What are your thoughts as the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra regarding the release of Otaka's work?
Yukihiro Masumi: It was because I wanted to carry on and carry forward the tradition established by Mr. Akio Watanabe, known as the "Japan Philharmonic Series" (which commissions and premieres new works from Japanese composers). Recently, the number of orchestras around the world with their own independent labels has been increasing, but I don't think there is any other example of an orchestra that has commissioned so many works and also released recordings of them.
During the time of Professor Akio Watanabe, records of commissioned works for the "Japan Philharmonic Series" were released. We have now started a project to independently distribute past live recordings, including those from this series, and this release is the first in that series.
Of the two works, the "Piano Concerto" will be the commissioned and premiered piece for this series, but as it is important for commissioned works to be performed not only for the premiere but also for repeat performances, I hope to be able to create an opportunity to perform the "Piano Concerto" again someday.
He talks about his mission of "releasing recordings of commissioned works"profit
-Finally, I would appreciate it if you could give a message to our listeners.
Hirokami: Anyway, I would like to say to those who listen to this, "Please spread the word."
I think Professor Odaka should be better known, but he himself didn't see much value in that sort of thing. When I met him, he said to me, "People who have a desire for recognition become conductors like you and Tada (= Tadaaki)" (laughs), and I would reply, "That's right," and I loved hearing him say things like that (laughs).
I might be met with some backlash for saying this, but I feel that this country has produced too many "pseudo-intellectuals" in various fields. Rather than a mindset of cherishing what is truly beautiful and essential, we have always sought out new and exciting things, and have been educated to broaden our knowledge of things that people are likely to jump on, and we have not been able to raise people who have the courage to say, "good is good."
Even in the field of music, such people make fun of "ordinary" things, or criticize new works as being the same old thing. You may have been in a position where you had to fight against such people.
It may be an exaggeration to say that I am making a significant contribution to this, but I feel that this collection of works is a cry to convey what is essential, what is important, in the field of music. I believe that anyone who listens to it will be able to sense this "something," even if they don't know much about music. I would encourage everyone to give it a listen.
- thank you very much.
Video message from conductor Junichi Hirokami
https://youtu.be/4dnTX6VSbvU
[Composer Profile]
Atsutada Otaka
Born in Tokyo in 1944, he graduated from the Department of Composition at Tokyo University of the Arts in 1966. While there, he studied composition under Tomojiro Ikeuchi, Akio Yashiro, and Akira Miyoshi, and piano under Kazuko Yasukawa. In September of the same year, he traveled to France on a French government scholarship and graduated from the Conservatoire de Paris in 1970. During this time, he studied under Maurice Duruflé, Marcel Bittsche, Jean-Claude Henry, and Henri Dutille, receiving first prizes in advanced harmony, counterpoint, and pursuit classes. After returning to Japan in 1970, he continued composing while also working as a pianist in chamber music and song accompaniment. He has taught the next generation of pianists at the Department of Composition at Tokyo University of the Arts and Toho Gakuen School of Music. In 1982, he received the 30th Otaka Prize for "Image for Orchestra," and in 2001, he received the Bekku Prize for "Fantaisie" for Organ and Orchestra. In 2012, he won the 60th Otaka Prize for his symphony "Beyond Time." He passed away on February 16, 2021.
【release information】
https://japanphil.or.jp/japanphil_wp/news/jporecordings/
【Related information】
・#GivingToYourBrightFuture We want to deliver graduation music to children across the country:
Maestro Hirokami is currently working on a project to deliver graduation songs online to children graduating across the country.
・Website: https://readyfor.jp/projects/Graduationceremony2021
・Junichi Hirokami video message: https://youtu.be/KClaWxzq-3Q
Junichi Hirokami, conductor | Japan Philharmonic Orchestra 731st Tokyo Regular Concert
(June 11th (Fri), 2021 at 7:00 PM and June 12th (Sat), 2:00 PM, Suntory Hall)
https://japanphil.or.jp/japanphil_wp/concert/24097/
