Hikaru Hayashi
48 Songs for Piano
Fontec Records (Japan) 1983
EFO-2067 (LP) w/obi.
sleeve : NM
media : EX-/EX-(some light noises.)
An album featuring piano pieces for children by Japanese composer Hikaru Hayashi, who began composing in his youth and gained attention with Images of the Atomic Bomb in 1950. He went on to produce an extensive body of work ranging from orchestral compositions to film scores. This album is the third installment in the "Piano Pieces for Children by Contemporary Japanese Composers" series by the Fontec label, which was co-founded by Yukio Kojima of Kojima Recordings. It includes 48 pieces composed using a method that cycles through all 24 minor keys twice within a single octave, with Hayashi himself performing on the piano. The album features beautiful music with simple structures, including refrains reminiscent of Erik Satie and melodies evoking Japanese sentimentality. While it diverges from its original concept, it functions wonderfully as ambient music as well.
A3/A4 : ものをつくる両手のうた / 空想するうた
A7/8/9 : とんぼのうた / 死のうた / 通りぬける風のうた