Aki Takahashi
A Valentine Out of Season
Toshiba Records (Japan) 1977
TA-72034 (LP) w/insert.
sleeve : EX-(some light wear on edge and corner.)
media : EX/EX(some slightly noise.)
Released in 1977, this album finds pianist Aki Takahashi—herself a leading figure in Japan’s contemporary music scene, and sister to renowned composer Yuji Takahashi—delivering a compelling solo performance entirely on acoustic piano. The program ranges widely, from cutting-edge contemporary works by Iannis Xenakis, Toru Takemitsu, and John Cage, to classic modern pieces by Erik Satie and Claude Debussy. Takahashi’s affinity with Satie shines on B1–B6, where she performs Gnossiennes Nos. 1–6 with quiet authority. Equally essential listening are Takemitsu’s evocative “For Away” (A2), and a series of Cage works—“Valentine Out of Season” (A3), “A Room” (A4), and “Music for Marcel” (A5)—where the prepared piano resonates with a striking, almost percussive presence.
A2: For Away
A3: Valentine Out of Season
A4: A Room
A Valentine Out of Season
Toshiba Records (Japan) 1977
TA-72034 (LP) w/insert.
sleeve : EX-(some light wear on edge and corner.)
media : EX/EX(some slightly noise.)
Released in 1977, this album finds pianist Aki Takahashi—herself a leading figure in Japan’s contemporary music scene, and sister to renowned composer Yuji Takahashi—delivering a compelling solo performance entirely on acoustic piano. The program ranges widely, from cutting-edge contemporary works by Iannis Xenakis, Toru Takemitsu, and John Cage, to classic modern pieces by Erik Satie and Claude Debussy. Takahashi’s affinity with Satie shines on B1–B6, where she performs Gnossiennes Nos. 1–6 with quiet authority. Equally essential listening are Takemitsu’s evocative “For Away” (A2), and a series of Cage works—“Valentine Out of Season” (A3), “A Room” (A4), and “Music for Marcel” (A5)—where the prepared piano resonates with a striking, almost percussive presence.
A2: For Away
A3: Valentine Out of Season
A4: A Room