On April 2, 1979, Japanese musicians and Fluxus practitioners Takehiosa Kosugi and Akio Suzuki recorded New Sense of Hearing at Tokyo's Aeolian Hall. Described by Suzuki as the "culmination" of their sound, New Sense documents their experiments with instruments both traditional and avant-garde.
Bach: Cantatas Vol 10 / Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan
BIS
CD
$21.99Jun 01, 1999
This 10th volume in BIS's ongoing Bach cantata series features three works Bach composed during his first summer in Leipzig. While BWV 179 certainly has been recorded more frequently, BVW 186 (Ärgre dich, o Seele, nicht) is the most significant of the three because of its greater length and because it marks Bach's return to two-part cantata form. Based on a revised lost cantata originally composed at Weimar, this is a remarkably assured work, grand in conception yet subtle in its underlying beauty. The opening chorus must be counted among Bach's most stately, its impact augmented by multiple oboes, strings, and full continuo. Among the soloists, tenor Makato Sakurada delivers an introspective fourth-movement recitative that perfectly sets up his spirited fifth-movement aria. Equally distinguished is the 10th-movement duet, expertly harmonized by countertenor Robin Blaze and soprano Miah Persson--a dance that steps as high as any we've heard from Bach so far.
The popularity of BWV 179--Siehe zu, dass deine Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei (Make sure that your fear of God is not hypocrisy)--is understandable since it not only includes one of Bach's most exciting opening choruses, but also gives unusual dramatic license to the soloists through the text's many self-deprecating references. In respect to the latter, for its sheer declarative power, no recording surpasses Karl Richter's awe-inspiring 1976 Archiv account featuring Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Peter Schreier, and Edith Mathis. While not quite up to Richter's level, Suzuki and his forces offer their own interpretive details. For instance, in the fifth-movement aria Suzuki broadens the tempo, and the additional time (more than a minute longer than Richter's version) heightens Persson's characterization of wanton shame and pity. The only performance slower than Suzuki's (more than a minute longer!) is Gunther Ramin's, where Elisabeth Meinel-Asbahr's ruthless, devastating anguish guarantees tears.
BWV 105--Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht mit deinem Knecht (Lord, do not enter into judgment with thy servant)--also features many inspired moments. The magnificent, brooding opening chorus is most engaging, and tenor Sakurada's beautifully rendered espousal of determination in his fifth-movement aria is superb--as is the final chorale, where Bach's clever, near-dissonant string writing effectively alludes to weariness if not weeping, the gradually slowing pulse eventually leading to resigned calm.
As usual with this series Suzuki and his colleagues deliver performances that more often than not are without peer. Faithfully captured by BIS's expert engineering team, their ongoing cycle promises to be the most consistently rewarding one currently or previously available.
The pianist SoRyang, born in Korea and educated in Seoul, in Essen/Germany (as a pupil of the renowned pianist Detlef Kraus) and in Vienna/Austria, emerged far beyond Austria with her idea to popularize Classical piano music on historical places of big European cities. SoRyang performed worldwide with renowned orchestras, among them the Folkwang Chamber Orchestra Essen, the Deutsche Streicherphilharmonie, the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. She has recorded numerous CDs. In 2019 she performed together with the Tonkünstler Orchester Niederösterreich under the baton of it's chief conductor Yutaka Sado (who earlier has been the assistant of Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa, and later has produced popular television programs for the understanding of Classical Music in Japan) in the impressing grand hall of the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg/Germany. SoRyang played Tchaikovsky's famous piano concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor and as an encore Chopin's barnstorming last etude, Op. 25 No. 12. After the intermission Mahler's fifth symphony was played. The concert has been recorded for the present release.
George Szell's commitment to musical truth made him an intimidating figure - even among the other formidable conductors of the 20th century. His uncompromising quest for perfection drew performances of exalted quality from soloists and orchestras. In particular, his long tenure as the Cleveland Orchestra's music director (1946-1970) established it firmly as one of the world's great ensembles. This recording of Franz Schubert's masterwork, the "Great" Ninth Symphony, is one of the highlights of the discography Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra made for EMI. It is proposed here in the 2019 remastering done by Warner Japan.
Each album in the 3 album set Paris Musette is a reference for every fan of "musette" accordion in the whole world. This series initiated by producers Franck Bergerot and Didier Roussin for the label founded by Patrick Tandin aimed to provide the best recording conditions possible for major artists in a genre that had fallen out of favour, despite the fact that their repertoire was nothing less than the 'world music' of France in the pre- and post-war years. The first 3 volumes in the series appeared in 1990, 1993 and 1997 respectively, and were phenomenally successful in making the accordion a desirable instrument again, not only in World and Jazz circles but also in popular song. Returning to it's origins, and once again a 'legitimate' style, the music of Paris Musette spread to Canada, the United States and Asia, while the musicians played on world tours. The series sold more than 100, 000 copies and was licensed to Sony for distribution in Japan.
This recording is the audio portion of a television show recorded in Tokyo during Monk's 1963 tour of Japan. Not to be confused with the live album of that same 1963 tour, Monk In Tokyo, released on Columbia Records. It also should be noted that the recordings here were previously released as Thelonious Monk 1963 Japan, at various times, by various labels. This version has been remastered by Award Winning Engineer Bernie Grundman. It is the first time this album has been released on vinyl in over 35 years.
The award-winning duo of flautist Silvia Schiaffino and guitarist Renato Procopio present a musical travelogue ranging from Western to Eastern Europe before journeying further afield to Japan, Iran and Korea. As well as masterpieces such as Bartok's Romanian Folk Dances, and a rip-roaring Monti Csardas, this evocative selection includes the colourful and piquant, such as the music of Sakura, as well as Procopio's own vibrant arrangement of Korean folk songs.
The Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo, was founded in 1962 by Japan's three leading media companies--The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper company, Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV) and Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation (YTV). The orchestra performs around 100 concerts each year true to its founding mission of dedicating to promoting the universe of classical music in Japan. On this release, the ensemble pairs Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Bartok’s The Miraculous Mandarin Suite. French-born conductor Sylvain Cambreling is a musician with big ideas. A thought-provoking, colourful and dramatic artist, and persuasive champion of contemporary music, he has a flair for grabbing the attention of audiences, yet his originality is rooted in thorough knowledge of musicology.
Stradivarius is pleased to present the new album by Aurora Avveduto, a young pianist who has enriched her training by participating, among other things, in various masterclasses and seminars with composers and performers of today's music. Entitled Stille, the CD invites you on a journey that intertwines music from different sources (Japan, China, the United States, Italy) brought together around the theme of the Far East and the images of permanence that derive from it, with pieces that investigate the theme of time and suggest moments of reflection in a delicate dimension of suspension. The CD, which opens with China Gates by John Adams, a composer of the second generation of minimal music, is configured as a concept album centered on a certain vision of music and the world that has roots in the Far East but which then also touches the cultures of other countries. After the songs by Toru Takemitsu Rain Tree Sketch and Rain Tree Sketch II, from 1982 and 1992 respectively, and after Eight Memories in Watercolor (1978-1979) by the Chinese composer Tan Dun, born in 1957, the album closes with two compositions by two Italian authors, Pioggia d'autunno by Federico Maria Sardelli, a multifaceted musician, painter and writer, and Stille by Giorgio Colombo Taccani, a song from 2022 that gives the title to the entire CD, for a singular listening path that creates bridges and links between the cultures of different countries.
This debut audite album by the virtuoso PianoDuo Takahashi|Lehmann, focusing on three orchestral and ensemble masterpieces, explores the multifaceted cosmos of piano duet transcriptions. Each arranged for piano duet by their own composers, these Beethoven, Schumann and Schönberg transcriptions come alive thanks to the suspense between the piano's own sound and the suggestion of colors which do not form part of the instrument's spectrum. Founded in Berlin in 2009, the duo has performed in many European countries, South Korea and Japan.
Antoine Tamestit and Masato Suzuki, Principal Conductor of the famous Bach Collegium Japan, immersed themselves in Bach's three sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord in order to present this sublime interpretation using a modern viola. The change in instrumentation allows the artists total freedom to rediscover the exquisite qualities of these all too rarely played masterpieces. HARMONIA MUNDI
Beethoven's Ninth: Symphony for the World / Currentzis
C Major Entertainment
DVD
$16.49$32.99Save 50%Jun 26, 2020
To this day, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 is one of the most popular pieces of classical music in the world. But what is it about this global hit? The film charts the success of the symphony around the globe and encounters passionate amateur musicians and musical personalities. Watch as Greek conductor Teodor Currentzis works on Beethoven’s Ninth with his ensemble, MusicAeterna. Follow Chinese composer and Oscar winner Tan Dun as he creates a new composition inspired by the great Beethoven symphony. Experience the Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as they play the Ninth. Visit a favela in Brazil, where Beethovens’s music helps people get off the streets. Be amazed as a choir of 10,000 in Japan sings the final chorus of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, with great enthusiasm. Learn how Paul Whittaker helps make Beethoven accessible for deaf people. And find out how British DJ Gabriel Prokofiev performs a symphonic remix of Beethoven’s Ninth.
This compilation CD features 19 tracks covering the entire life of the American Music label, either unissued or only included on LPs issued in Japan. This CD was originally included in the book Bill Russell's American Music, a discographical study of the American Music label.
Tokyo born composer Miho Hazama is one of New York's most astounding young talents. Lauded in Downbeat as one of "25 for the Future", Miho is quickly establishing herself as a force of nature on the world's stage. As the 2015 recipient of the BMI Charlie Parker Composition Prize, Miho developed her signature ensemble "m_unit". Now having 2 full length releases on Universal Music Japan/ Sunnyside Records, Miho has written for and expertly showcased the abilities of guest artists such as Joshua Redman, Stefon Harris, Steve Wilson, and Gil Goldstein, to name a few. Furthermore, each album was carefully overseen by Miho's musical mentor and jazz composition powerhouse, Jim McNeely. Critics and music fans alike have praised the recordings, and Miho has been featured in such influential publications as Downbeat, JazzTimes, NPR, CD Journal and many more. "Dancing in Nowhere" is the 3rd album of Miho with the "m_unit" and features Lionel Loueke as guest artist.
Vinyl LP pressing. Digitally remastered edition of Dee Dee's debut album. Recorded in Tokyo in 1974, the album was originally released exclusively in Japan via two different Japanese labels. Afro Blue features an exquisite collaboration of American and Japanese musicians, such as Cecil and Ron Bridgewater, Motohiko Hino and producer Takao Ishizuka. The result is a sublime deep soul-jazz masterpiece with timeless versions of 'People Make The World Go Round', 'Love From The Sun', and 'Afro Blue'. It is arguably one of the finest albums in it's genre. This record has long been a sought-after item for DJs and collectors alike, so we are delighted to finally make this wonderful music from an understated great available to all.
Tessarini: Sei Sonate, Op. 14; Il Piacier delle dame
Tactus
CD
$21.99Sep 05, 2025
Japanese flutist Eriko Oi, winner of the International Early Music Competition in Yamanashi (Japan), is joined by harpsichordist Tung-Han Hu in this production featuring the world premiere recording of works for flute and continuo by Italian composer Carlo Tessarini, born in Rimini in the late 17th century. A violin virtuoso active throughout Europe and a prolific composer, Tessarini - like many of his contemporaries - also ventured into writing for the flute, significantly enriching the instrument's repertoire. The performance of the two collections presented in this CD demonstrates that Tessarini was undoubtedly a profound connoisseur of the flute's unique qualities, fully exploiting it's dynamic and expressive potential.
Digitally remastered edition of Dee Dee's debut album. Recorded in Tokyo in 1974, the album was originally released exclusively in Japan via two different Japanese labels. Afro Blue features an exquisite collaboration of American and Japanese musicians, such as Cecil and Ron Bridgewater, Motohiko Hino and producer Takao Ishizuka. The result is a sublime deep soul-jazz masterpiece with timeless versions of 'People Make The World Go Round', 'Love From The Sun', and 'Afro Blue'. It is arguably one of the finest albums in it's genre. This record has long been a sought-after item for DJs and collectors alike, so we are delighted to finally make this wonderful music from an understated great available to all.
Bach: Cantatas Vol 25 / Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan
BIS
CD
$21.99Jul 01, 2004
Volume 25 of Masaaki Suzuki's Bach cantata series arrived on my desk out of sequence, providing further proof of that old adage, "Better late than never"? The disc comes in a slipcase marked Jubilee Edition, along with a separate booklet containing a celebratory essay (in four languages), a slew of encomiums (none, unfortunately, from me), and, best of all, an index of the cantatas in the first 25 volumes, arranged in BWV order. One hopes that it will be updated periodically. Three superb cantatas, dating from September and October 1724, make this one of the most attractive volumes in the series. All three are cast in the chorale-cantata format with splendid opening choruses that further illustrate Bach?s endless ingenuity. Cantata 78 opens with an intensely expressive chaconne over a lamento bass that is sounded 27 times. (For numerology buffs, 27=3x3x3 or 33 is a representation of the Trinity.) BWV 99 has a more joyful feel, with chorus and orchestra alternating in concertante style. No. 114 projects an aura of strength and confidence, its choral statements punctuated by an energetic ritornello. All three cantatas also feature memorable arias for tenor with an obbligato traverse flute. Many observers have pointed out that Bach had a virtuoso flutist at his disposal at the time, but Klaus Hofmann?s notes suggest that a superior tenor soloist may have been available then as well. BWV 78, Jesu der du meine Seele, one of the most popular of all the cantatas, contains a duet for soprano and alto that qualifies as a ?Bach moment???a movement you might profitably play for an uninitiated listener who wants to know what the fuss over JSB is all about. Did I sense a hint of impatience in Suzuki?s pacing for No. 78? If so, it would be a rare blip in an epic venture that to date has maintained a remarkably and consistently high standard. Most highly recommended, nonetheless.
