At Times of Quiet - Die internationale Shakuhachi Gesellschaft

At Times of Quiet

Tanabe Shōzan
Kyoto Records - KYCH-2013
1998

Track	Titel	Kanji	Länge	Künstler
1	Shizuka Naru Toki	静かなる時	07'57	Shakuhachi: Tanabe Shōzan
	This selection is from 'Scenes with Suikinkutsu,' a composition for suikinkutsu (water chime) and 'Ondes Martenot' first performed in 1997 at Tokyo's Suntory Hall. It is the introductory portion of the work and begins with a solo shakuhachi calling out to the water chime. The piece progresses with a response and then conversation between the instruments. It is the composers wish that the faint sound of the water drops tailing and resonating would bring a sense at the inner universe within us all. It is up to the individual, however, to listen as the suikinkutsu marks the passing at time, and interpret the quiet.
2	So		08'44	Shakuhachi: Tanabe Shōzan Koto: Kuribayashi Hideaki
	Written for shakuhachi and jushichigen (17 stringed bass koto), this piece was a commission for Hideaki Kuribayashi's 1989 Tokyo recital at Vario Hall. In composing the work, utilization of the bass koto's rich and deep reverberating tones was utmost in the composers mind. The piece was retitled "SO" at the time of this recording.
3	Nyorai Shizune	如来寂音（にょらいしづね）ー宇宙からの音ー	04'33	Shakuhachi: Tanabe Shōzan
	Nyorai, the Buddha, is the Universe. A solitary tranquility fills the spirit before the giving forth of sound. It is the point of origin. Opening up from emptiness, we become one with the great universe. When the sound of the shakuhachi and the heart of the artist unite, there is such a realization. Tanabe Shozan's world is just that.
4	Joseki	城跡	11'52	Shakuhachi: Tanabe Shōzan Koto: Kuribayashi Hideaki
	History leaves a curious silence over places once so important. The vibrant tales of storytellers allow them to bum again with life. The koto's quiet melody is turned over to the shakuhachi. Then independently the instruments pass the time in a talkative manner. The shakuhachi's improvisational solo is cut by fragmented melodic flashes from the koto. An impromptu duet follows, with a gradual return to silence.
5	Ukon Tsurubami	欝金・橡（うこんつるばみ）ー2本の尺八のためのー	07'20	Shakuhachi: Tanabe Retsuzan Shakuhachi: Tanabe Shōzan
	Many classical works for two shakuhachi involve one part being echoed or "pursued' by the other. The parts are exquisitely timed and incorporate an improvisational aspect. When writing music for Japanese instruments, I am always careful not to loose touch of the distinctive ‘flavors.' Lying at the foundation of this piece is the word ‘concorede.' The piece ends with a single note, however, the process leading to that final tone is never a rivalry, but always a kind of harmonized cooperation. The concept for the work stemmed from its initial performance by brothers, Retsuzan and Shozan Tanabe. Commissioned in 1990, the piece was debuted at Tokyo's Tsuda Hall in November of that year. It's title refers to two plants, one being a turmeric, and the other a kind of oak.
6	Tsuki (Masumoto)	“月” ー笙と尺八のためのー	15'15	Shakuhachi: Tanabe Shōzan
	This piece was commissioned in 1983 by Christopher Yohmei Blasdel, an American shakuhachi artist, and was first performed with sho (mouth organ) player, Mayumi Miyata, in the fall of that year. The work's title came about as a result of its debut performance in the glassed-in rock garden of Tokyo's Sogetsu Plaza. The Chinese characters for 'Sogetsu" are "Grass" and "Moon," both of which are associated with autumn in Japan. Thus, the concept for the work came about with the moonlight, sho, and shakuhachi brought together in the context at season and place. There is a Debussy prelude entitled "La terrasse des audiences du claire du lune." I hope to convey a similar sentiment with this piece.
7	Otonai	おとなひ	11'00	Shakuhachi: Tanabe Shōzan
	"Otonai" is an old word meaning to 'produce’ a sound or to 'reverberate.' It is my feeling that the power of the shakuhachi lies in its ability to give life to sound, and to allow that sound to thrive by placing it in the context of time or 'ma.’ In this improvisational work I utilize traditional techniques and a natural tonal progression in the hope that listeners may come to understand these sentiments.