Fading Beauty... (3)
for shakuhachi, shamisen and cello (2014)
Fading Beauty... (3)
for shakuhachi, shamisen and cello (2014)
This is the third piece of the Fading Beauty series from my works. The first one is for small ensemble, the second for viola solo, and the third for Japanese instruments and cello. The title, Fading Beauty, refers to the Japanese aesthetics of the falling blossoms, whose beauty is fleeting. For example, Japanese temple bells are rung the second time only after the reverberation has faded away. In contrast, Western bells are generally rung regularly, without waiting for the reverberation to die out. According to Japanese aesthetics, one needs to be immersed in each reverberation. Based on this idea, I have inserted calculated bell sections at regular intervals. After the bell sections, instrumental sections are merged with the reverberations. They are notated with quick passages, like a continuation of imaginary reverberations, the sounds of which might still be moving around in the air. Silence is also an important gesture in my piece. My idea of silence, which I call “colored silence,” also comes from this aesthetic, in particular from the reverberation of Japanese temple bells. I have collaborated with Japanese-style painter Hiroko Ohno several times. Her paintings are created with Japanese pigments, which produce subtle colors. They are linked to my musical colors. (from program note)
painting, 《Merzouga Sun and Moon》by Hiroko Ohno
この作品は、《Fading Beauty…》シリーズの第3作目になります。アンサンブルの為の1作目、ヴィオラソロのための2作目に続き、3作目は、邦楽器とチェロの為の作品です。全ての作品に日本の風鈴を使用しています。タイトルの《Fading Beauty... 》(『枯凋の美』)は、「花は、短い命で枯れてしまうからこそ、はかなくて美しい」という日本的美学に共感を受けて、学生の頃ニューヨーク在住の際に作曲した第1作目につけました。日本の寺では、鐘の音の残響が消えかかったあとに、2度目が鳴らされるのに対して、西洋の教会では、残響があるにも関わらず、続けて規則正しく鳴らされます。このアイデアに基づいて、風鈴の音を計算された間隔で挿入し、想像上の残響の延長のように、大気中を彷徨っているかのような素早い楽器によるパッセージが、ベルの残響と融け込みます。自分の作品のなかで「間」は、Colored Silence (色彩のあるサイレンス)と考えており、ベルの残響のあとの空間を、絶えず揺れ動く複雑な音響で満たしています。(プログラムノートより)
14/02/17