Minoru Miki Selected Works II

Miki Minoru
Camerata - 32CM-55
1988

Track	Title	Kanji	Length	Artist
1	Concerto Requiem		23'26	Koto: Nosaka Keiko
	Miki is not concerned with any particular form of religion, but this piece investigates the connection between music and religion. It is a prayer for the repose of the dead, and for the consolation of the living; and it is the living who are confronted with the fact of death. An ordinary stone becomes a percussion instrument: it mediates between the earth, to which we all return when we die, and the instrumental ensemble which is part of our sophisticated culture. Miki considers this to be one of his most important works, in spite of its extreme simplicity. The austerity conveys Miki's disquiet at the twisted complexity of modern civilization. This work was composed in 1981, and first performed by Keiko Nosaka and Pro Musica Nipponia (Nihon Ongaku Shudan, conducted by Takuo Tamura). They performed this concerto Requiem in London, Rome, Milano, Leipzig, Peking, Shanghai, etc. and also many Cities in Japan.
2	Hanayagi	華やぎ	09'44	Koto: Nosaka Keiko
	This piece was originally the fifth selection in Ballades for Koto solo, vol. II, composed in 1976 for Keiko Nosaka. A dynamic piece, it signs of the beauty of the plants and trees as spring yields to summer. In 1978 a prelude has been added. This piece is the most popular solo piece for twenty-string Koto, and each soloist of this instrument plays the Greening frequently in the world.
3	Autumn Fantasy		14'05	Shakuhachi: Sakata Seizan Koto: Nosaka Keiko
	Composed in 1980 for shakuhachi and twenty string koto, it begins with a 5-minute prologue. This first section is i1 gentle dialogue between the two instruments, and the second section sets the two instruments in simultaneous contrast. Here, the shakuhachi unfolds a long sustained melody. Against this floating melody, the koto provides a rapid counterpoint, contrastive in temperament and rhythmic density. Flute (or Ob., Cl., Vn.) and Piano (or Hp.) version is published by Ongaku-no-Tomo Sha, Tokyo.
4	Sao no Kyoku	佐保の曲	08'06	Koto: Nosaka Keiko
	Miki's image of autumn is in sharp contrast to the static spring of Sao. There is a frantic violence that energizes this piece, relieved only by a few moments of calm midway through. This composition diverges much farther from traditional Japanese music than the previous two works. The left hand is employed more extensively here than previously, foreshadowing its increased use in future Miki pieces. The rapid strumming pattern which begins the piece and recurs throughout is technically very difficult. Overall, Tatsuta-no-Kyoku is a virtuoso number which is as exciting to watch as to listen to; perhaps this is why so many performers have taken on the challenges provided by this work.
5	Tatsuta no Kyoku		08'36	Koto: Nosaka Keiko
	When Miki wrote this, his second solo for 20-string koto, he had in mind a work which would avoid the over seriousness of Tennyo. He also had in mind two wonderfully evocative titles derived from the ancient Japanese legend about Sao and Tatsuta, the goddesses who presided over spring and autumn respectively. This and the next piece, Tatsuta-no-kyoku, describe what Miki sees as the two polar aspects of the personality of the koto - and these same two aspects can be found in the performer, Keiko Nosaka.