Koto - The International Shakuhachi Society

Koto

Hiratsuka Yoshio
Toshiba EMI - PCDZ-6001
1990

Track	Title	Kanji	Length	Artist
1	Silk Road Fantasy, The	シルクロードの幻想	11'40	Shakuhachi: John Kaizan Neptune Koto: Hiratsuka Yoshio Koto: Reimei Rieei
	Long long ago, it is said that the Silk Road, a long way, on which people traveled to see many kinds of history, culture, and prosperity, led from China, to Persia and further to Rome. The figure of a caravan crossing the desolate dessert looks like an illusion of people travelling to seek for a beautiful faraway city. The music expresses such a scene poetically and sentimentally as it is in a dream.
2	Composition of Koto, Shakuhachi, and Percussion	筝・尺八・打楽器によるコンポジション	11'46	Shakuhachi: John Kaizan Neptune Koto: Reimei Rieei
	Shakuhachi and Percussion - Yoshio Hiratsuka, 1978 The first performance of this Composition was in his recital in 1978. This work by playing together with experts of Shakuhachi was in the news as original avant-garde one. The tune begins from an introduction with unique sense of color, and appears a fantastic time like a calm dream appears as the main theme of this tune. But suddenly, that dream is broken by a dynamic sound, and the drama of music is developed by extempore musical performance. The scene that three players compete for their own originalities and arts create a climax of this tune. And a cheerful rhythmical ensemble is performed by the part of Shakuhachi solo and Koto solo, the composition is over after the theme of "Illusion like a dream" appears again. It is composed for three players. Koto player uses three Koto. (Koto I , Koto II. Jushichigen) Shakuhachi player uses two kinds of instruments.(D and A), and Percussion player uses over ten kinds of instruments, (a marimba, a vibraphone, a timpani, a bass drum, a snare drum. cymbals, a wood block, etc.)
3	Poems for Koto	筝のための詩曲	11'19	Koto: Hiratsuka Yoshio Koto: Reimei Rieei
	Yoshio Hiratsuka, 1984. The rumbling tremolo of Koto announces the main theme which the soloist plays like an epic poem. Although there are moments of pathos, the piece rises to a thundering climax as powerful themes build to the finale.
4	Nostalgia	ノスタルジア	12'46	Shakuhachi: John Kaizan Neptune Koto: Hiratsuka Yoshio
	Yoshio Hiratsuka, 1959. Koto starts with calm, sorrowful melody. Then it's taken over by Shakuhachi. Such repetition makes one nostalgia. Like One's memories, the music gradually fades away.
5	Concerto Grosso No. 1	合奏協奏曲第一番	14'27	Shakuhachi: Takeuchi Bizan Shakuhachi: Mizutani Masayasu Shakuhachi: Ogura Yōzan Shakuhachi: Makihara Shinichirō Shakuhachi: John Kaizan Neptune Shakuhachi: Ōishi Getsuzan Shakuhachi: Itō Ōzan Koto: Hiratsuka Yoshio Koto: Reimei Rieei
	Yoshio Hiratsuka, 1986. The theme of this music is the delight and the joy of concerto grosso. Koto, Jushichigen, and Shakuhachi separately form their own harmonies but unite in the end for the rhythmical ceremony.