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Naxos

Japanese Classics - Takemitsu: Piano Music / Fukuma

$19.99

Details

Composer
TAKEMITSU, TORU
Artist
Kotaro Fukuma
Format
CD
Label
Naxos
Released
Sep 25, 2007
Catalog #
8570261
UPC
747313026173

About



TAKEMITSU Romance. Lento in due movimenti. Uninterupted Rest. Piano Distance. For Away. Les yeus clos. Les yeux clos II. Rain Tree Sketch. Rain Tree Sketch II. Piano Pieces for Children. Litany • Kotaro Fukuma (pn) • NAXOS 8.570261 (63:57)


Kotaro Fukuma (b. 1982) received high praise from Susan Kagan in Fanfare 29:2 for a program of Robert Schumann’s works; she called his technique “dazzling” and opined that his version of the Fantasiestücke “leaves nothing to be desired.” The piano music of Toru Takemitsu would seem to require a total reconsideration of touch and temperament, but Fukuma rises to the challenge. He’s certainly capable of phrasing with delicacy, as the opening of Les yeux clos II reveals, with the addition of a biting modernity to the gestures of Piano Distance and a sharp, pointed attack in Uninterrupted Rest . Even so, he continually highlights the lyrical nature of the music, not by emphasizing its flowing qualities, as does Kumi Ogano (Philips—see Fanfare 16:3), or its contemplative breadth, per Roger Woodward (Etcetera), but through a thoughtful balance of dramatic detail and atmospheric resonance. And though his Litany may lack the warmth and sensitivity of that of Peter Serkin (RCA—see Fanfare 20:3), it reinforces Takemitsu’s connection with Debussy.


Another advantage to this disc is its completeness—which is not to say it is complete. Fukuma omits realizations of Takemitsu’s two graphic scores, Corona and Crossing , as does everyone else except for Woodward, who’s recorded them twice (Etcetera and Explore). But Fukuma does include several previously overlooked or rejected pieces—a pair of charming, songlike, albeit ordinary miniatures for children; Lento in due movimenti , the unedited original version of Litany ; and, most interestingly, a Romance from 1949, the composer’s earliest surviving piano work, which combines Japanese modes, elements of Impressionism, and a brusque urgency unheard in his later music. Given the fact that both the Serkin and Woodward discs are not presently available, Fukuma deserves strong consideration for both the quality of his playing and the opportunity to hear these rare pieces.


FANFARE: Art Lange

Tracklist 16 tracks

  1. 1 Romance 04:15
    Track
    1
    Title
    Romance
    Duration
    04:15
    Composer
    Tōru Takemitsu
    Performer
    Kotaro Fukuma
  2. 2 I. Adagio 04:27
    Track
    2
    Title
    I. Adagio
    Duration
    04:27
    Composer
    Tōru Takemitsu
    Performer
    Kotaro Fukuma
  3. 3 II. Lento misteriosamente 04:45
    Track
    3
    Title
    II. Lento misteriosamente
    Duration
    04:45
    Composer
    Tōru Takemitsu
    Performer
    Kotaro Fukuma
  4. 4 I. Slowly, sadly and as if to converse with 01:56
    Track
    4
    Title
    I. Slowly, sadly and as if to converse with
    Duration
    01:56
    Composer
    Tōru Takemitsu
    Performer
    Kotaro Fukuma
  5. 5 II. Quietly and with a cruel reverberation 03:06
    Track
    5
    Title
    II. Quietly and with a cruel reverberation
    Duration
    03:06
    Composer
    Tōru Takemitsu
    Performer
    Kotaro Fukuma
  6. 6 III. A song of love 01:18
    Track
    6
    Title
    III. A song of love
    Duration
    01:18
    Composer
    Tōru Takemitsu
    Performer
    Kotaro Fukuma
  7. 7 Piano Distance 04:16
    Track
    7
    Title
    Piano Distance
    Duration
    04:16
    Composer
    Tōru Takemitsu
    Performer
    Kotaro Fukuma
  8. 8 For away 06:51
    Track
    8
    Title
    For away
    Duration
    06:51
    Composer
    Tōru Takemitsu
    Performer
    Kotaro Fukuma
  9. 9 Les yeux clos 06:17
    Track
    9
    Title
    Les yeux clos
    Duration
    06:17
    Composer
    Tōru Takemitsu
    Performer
    Kotaro Fukuma
  10. 10 Les yeux clos II 06:44
    Track
    10
    Title
    Les yeux clos II
    Duration
    06:44
    Composer
    Tōru Takemitsu
    Performer
    Kotaro Fukuma
  11. 11 Rain Tree Sketch 03:35
    Track
    11
    Title
    Rain Tree Sketch
    Duration
    03:35
    Composer
    Tōru Takemitsu
    Performer
    Kotaro Fukuma
  12. 12 Ame no ki sobyo II (Rain Tree Sketch II), "In memoriam Olivier Messiaen" 04:11
    Track
    12
    Title
    Ame no ki sobyo II (Rain Tree Sketch II), "In memoriam Olivier Messiaen"
    Duration
    04:11
    Composer
    Tōru Takemitsu
    Performer
    Kotaro Fukuma
  13. 13 No. 1. Breeze 00:49
    Track
    13
    Title
    No. 1. Breeze
    Duration
    00:49
    Composer
    Tōru Takemitsu
    Performer
    Kotaro Fukuma
  14. 14 No. 2. Clouds 01:37
    Track
    14
    Title
    No. 2. Clouds
    Duration
    01:37
    Composer
    Tōru Takemitsu
    Performer
    Kotaro Fukuma
  15. 15 I. Adagio 04:37
    Track
    15
    Title
    I. Adagio
    Duration
    04:37
    Composer
    Tōru Takemitsu
    Performer
    Kotaro Fukuma
  16. 16 II. Lento misterioso 05:12
    Track
    16
    Title
    II. Lento misterioso
    Duration
    05:12
    Composer
    Tōru Takemitsu
    Performer
    Kotaro Fukuma