Ryohei Hirose
Shakuhachi-1969
Crown (Japan) 1969
SWS-3 (LP) Original pressing. Gatefold sleeve. 2 x booklet, insert.
sleeve : EX-(wear on corner, slightly dirts.)
media : EX/EX(some slightly noises.)
An album released in 1969 by Japanese composer Ryohei Hirose, who began his composing career in the early 1960s and left behind many works that deeply reflect Buddhism and traditional Japanese sentiment. Like many post-war Japanese composers such as Toru Takemitsu and Minoru Miki, Hirose sought to explore the encounter between Japanese ethnic sensibilities and contemporary music. This album features two compositions centered around the shakuhachi. Side A is a composition for shakuhachi, string instruments, and percussion, performed by the three shakuhachi masters Shizuo Aoki, Hozan Yamamoto, and Katsuya Yokoyama, accompanied by a string quartet of violin, viola, and cello, with percussion played by Tomoyuki Okada and Yasukazu Amemiya. The performance also incorporates Buddhist ritual instruments such as the san (a type of drum) and the nyo-hachi (cymbals). Side B features a composition for three shakuhachi, also performed by Aoki, Yamamoto, and Yokoyama. Both pieces are highly original works, where Western music theory is sublimated into a distinctly Eastern contemporary music style. The album comes with two booklets containing 23 pages of liner notes and scores, as well as an insert. The packaging is also meticulously crafted. This is a highly recommended album.