Various Artists
Aspects of Piano Music: Japan 1973-
Denon (Japan) 1983
OF-7079-81-ND (3LP) Box Set. w/obi, booklet, original inner sleeve.
sleeve : NM-
media : EX+/EX+,EX+/EX+,EX+/EX+(some slightly surface noises.)
This 3-LP compilation album was released in 1983 under the supervision of Hikaru Hayashi, a Japanese composer who began composing music as a young boy and rose to prominence with his 1950 work "Atomic Bomb View" and has since left behind a vast number of works ranging from orchestral music to film music. The album features works by Hayashi and other eminent composers such as Yuji Takahashi, Mikio Tojima, Masao Honma, Yoshio Mamiya, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Norimune Kai, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Somei Sato, Toshio Hosokawa, etc. Hayashi's work on side A is performed by Izumi Shimura, and a contemporary piece by Ryuichi Sakamoto from the YMO era, D4 is performed by Yuji Takahashi. The highlight is side F, which features music by Satomei Sato and Toshio Hosokawa, both of whom have released excellent works on Kojima Recordings' ALM Records label. Be sure to listen to F1, where Aki Takahashi plays a unique minimalist composition, and F2, whose serene atmosphere can be redefined as post-ambient.
A1: Hikaru Hayashi “Shima Kodomo Uta”
F1: Somei Satoh “Incarnation II”
F2: Toshio Hosokawa “Melodia II”