Steinway & Sons releases the debut album from up-and-coming
Japanese pianist Miyako Arishima. The album blends two
vastly different, yet kindred worlds: the Romantic, embodied by the
music of Frédéric Chopin, and the twentieth century, represented by the
works of Toru Takemitsu, Karol Szymanowski, and Kazimierz Serocki.
Although the record heavily features Polish repertoire, Rain Tree
Sketch by Toru Takemitsu, arguably the greatest Japanese composer of the
twentieth century, kicks off the album. This piece, written in 1982,
reflects the essence of Takemitsu’s composition style, blending Western
themes with Japanese cultural roots. Although the piece is short, it
focuses on the relationship between meticulously produced notes and
silence.
There are two pieces by Polish composer Karol Szymanowski featured on
this record: Métopes, Op. 29: Nausicaa, and 2 Mazurkas, Op. 62. The
first of the two, Nausicaa, was written while the composer was under the
sway of aesthetic impressions from Doric temple friezes at the Palermo
museum, and as a result was heavily inspired by Greek mythology. The
second, 2 Mazurkas, are later works which form the final opus of
Szymanowski, and are distinct from the composer’s earlier works in their
softer rhythmic contours and distinct arabesque character.
Three works by Frédéric Chopin, including 4 Mazurkas, Op. 33, the
sixth of the composer’s mazurka sets, showcases the signature liveliness
of the mazurka, a traditional Polish dance set in triple time, through
nostalgic, popular melodies and elaborate minor-mode settings.
Rounding out the recording is the seven-part Suite of Preludes by
Kazimierz Serocki, who would later become a radical representative of
the Polish avant-garde. This piece is notable for its unorthodox
incorporation of Arnold Schönberg’s famous twelve-tone serialism, and
its blend of the Chopin-era and post-Chopin musical traditions.
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