Takashi Niigaki (Mamoru Samuragochi’s ghostwriter) – Symphony / Piano Concerto, etc

TAKASHI NIIGAKI
Symphony "Litany" (unofficially Symphony No. 2)
Piano Concerto "Rebirth"
Green Floating Eternally

Tokyo Chamber Orchestra
Takashi Niigaki, piano
conducted by Takashi Niigaki (Symphony, Green Floating Eternally)
conducted by Kunihiro Nakamura (Piano Concerto)

https://mega.nz/#!M4Qz2BaI!p4KKRkxafqUkL9Pxh6cZ-WxAjfbMDguFvSxNamigrw8

By now, I’m sure every musically-inclined person on the planet is aware of the sad tale of Mamoru Samuragochi – the famous deaf Japanese composer who penned a behemoth symphony in tribute to the victims of the Hiroshima bomb, but turned out to be a manipulative liar who paid Takashi Niigaki a pittance to write his music, and threatened to kill himself and his wife if Niigaki revealed the deception.

At the time, it looked like curtains not only for Samuragochi’s career for also for the career of Niigaki – but thankfully public sympathy shifted to the underdog and Niigaki fashioned a career as a composer under his own steam.

(In the sleeve notes for the Hiroshima symphony, a thoroughly-duped Seiji Choki writes that Samuragochi had written TWELVE symphonies previously but destroyed them (presumably) in a fit of artistic perfectionism with the view of making the "Hiroshima" symphony his first official opus.)

This recent release showcases three new symphonic works; a symphony (which was at one point sniffily entitled "Symphony No. 2" but now carries only the title "Litany", a piano concerto (entitled "Rebirth" – with Niigaki himself playing the solo part under the baton of young conductor Kunihiro Nakamura), and a short and pastoral tone poem called "Green Floating Eternally".

The style is largely unchanged from his Samuragochi days – so if you liked the Hiroshima symphony, you’ll like this – it’s tonal though adventurous, late-romantic music that neatly disregards almost all of the nasty "conventions" that have over the past one hundred years conspired to kill classical music. It’s very "paint by numbers" – it takes very few risks and doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel – but I find it highly professional and overall a worthwhile listen. Though a chamber orchestra is credited with the performance, make no mistake – this is fully-throated, symphonic music played by a large ensemble. The performance itself (recorded live) is excellent as is the sound quality. The composer himself conducts the symphony and the tone poem, whilst Nakamura takes the podium for the concerto in order that the composer plays the solo part.

The "Hiroshima" symphony is now unavailable as Samuragochi’s record label deleted it immediately following his confession. It can be downloaded here: Thread 57893

Enjoy! 🙂
TT

Thanks! I’m looking to expand my horizons, musically, and this (along with the Hiroshima symphony) seems as good a place to start as any.

What a strange story about Samuragochi! I looked up his Wiki page for a brief overview and thought the bit about him standing up when a doorbell rang to be pretty amusing. What a dummy!

Thanks, appreciate the upload.

Thanks!!

thank you TT

Thank you very much, tangotreats! I too am grateful for the opportunity to hear something new.

SAMURAGOCHI DOCUMENTARY MOTHERFUCKERS

Featuring private interviews with Samuragochi, and his wife, this documentary shows their viewpoints ignored by the mainstream media. Also, itself a meditation on media, truth, …? Should be interesting for anyone having listened to the music thanks to tangotreats. "Fake" (2016), dir. Tatsuya Mori, continues to have screenings abroad. Unfortunately, their Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/fakemovie2016/) page only lists screenings a couple of days before the actual event. Hopefully, your nearest film festival gets it and y’all can make it.

(Option B: The Japanese DVD release with English subtitles available since March 2017.)