Recently Heard: Garden Rain

[ellyssian]

Garden Rain, composed by Toru Takemitsu

• Garden Rain, performed by the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
• Le Son calligraphie I-III, performed by Kenji Kobayashi, Mari Hirao, Namiko Umezu, Miyuki Togawa, violins; Junko Edo, Aya Tanaka, violas ;Tadao Takahashi, Akiyoshi Kudo, cellos; Hiroshi Wakasugi, conductor
• Hika | Elegy, performed by Ida Kavafian, violin and Peter Serkin, piano
• Folios I-III, performed by Kiyoshi Shomura, guitar
• Distance, performed by Heinz Holliger, oboe and Tadamaro Ono, sho
• Voice, performed by Aurele Nicolet, flute
• Stanza II, performed by Ursula Holliger, harp and tape
• Eucalypts I, performed by Heinz Holliger, oboe; Aurele Nicolet, flute; Ursula Holliger, harp; and the Basel Ensemble conducted by Jurg Wyttenbach
• Eucalypts II, performed by Heinz Holliger, oboe; Aurele Nicolet, flute; and Ursula Holliger, harp

I first came across the music of Toru Takemitsu on a disc of oceanic-themed duos for flute and guitar, and have since enjoyed a few other bits and pieces included on other discs, mostly small ensembles playing a variety of shorter pieces.

Although it was not quite so apparent on the earlier works I've heard, there are excellent examples on this release that blend in the Japanese influences amongst the Western ones. These different colors and phrasings are what makes this music stand out for me. This is most apparent in Distance, which features an oboe playing against a traditional Japanese instrument - the sho - and creating a truly unique and beautiful sound.

As a modern composer (most of the works were composed in the 1970's,) there are tones - dissonances - that won't be agreeable to every ear, but they are not overused or overwhelming.

In addition to the aforementioned Distance - which includes the lions share of startling sounds yet remains the clear favorite for me - the Folios for guitar are quite impressive. They brought to mind some of John McLaughlin's more recent work - a touch of jazz, yet clearly part of the classical guitar repertoire.

I highly recommend this disc to those who enjoy modern classical compositions.