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Virtus Quartet
Ryo Mikami, violin / Akira Mizutani, violin / Shoko Mabuchi, viola / Yasuo Maruyama, cello
Release Date: 07.02.2014
Publisher: Alm Records
Catalog Number: ALCD-7182
AAC ~285 kbps + Digital Booklet (Japanese) | 6 Tracks | 44:10 | 100 MB
1. Yoshihisa Hirano – Descending Dragon (2012) | 11:17
On February 6th every year, a primitive Matsuri (festival) called "Oto-Matsuri" is held in Shingu, a city of a world heritage, Kumano pilgrimage routes. Thousands of men who wear white kimonos (may remind of burial clothing) with wooden torches called "Nobori-ko" climb the mountain with a shrine in the top. Although the shrine is a little too small so that over a thousand men visit at a time, they have to wait for the sacred fire that priests from Kumano shrine carry up there. When the fire is sent, they fall into a tremendous excitement state and scramble for it to light their torches. And they run down the mountain holding burning torches as soon as the gate of the shrine is open. The scene is like a dragon going down in a dark night, the ancient people called it "Kudari-Ryu"(Descending Dragon).
—International Society for Contemporary Music (http://www.iscm.org/catalogue/works/hirano-yoshihisa-descending-dragon)
2. Toru Takemitsu – A Way a Lone (1980) | 13:11
3.-6. Hajime Koumatsu – Japanese Folk Song Suite No. 3 for String Quartet (2011)
Hakone Hachiri (Rentaro Taki) | 5:06
Sado Okesa (Niigata Prefecture Folk Song) | 2:55
Mogamigawa Funauta (Yamagata Prefecture Folk Song) | 7:38
Kagoshima Oharabushi (Kagoshima Prefecture Folk Song) | 3:48
From the iTunes Store.
It’s been a while since I’ve listened to Bartok’s quartets (takes very long to get warmed up to), but I believe that’s the key influence I’m hearing in Hirano’s quartet. Polish woman composer Bacewicz wrote in a similar idiom. Hirano has his idiosyncratic sharpness that I’m quite enjoying (the frantic cello run sounds very similar to that of a certain Ali Project arrangement), but I’ll tell you it’s definitely not for everyone. I am actually VERY excited to hear such a modernist piece from Hirano, who has been rather lackluster lately. The Takmitsu is also superb!
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