Various Artists
Eclipse
Victor (Japan) 1971
SJX-7533 (LP) w/obi.
sleeve : EX-(some light dirts)
media : EX+/EX+(some slightly noise)
Released by Victor in 1971, this album features contemporary compositions performed on traditional Japanese instruments. Side A includes Toru Takemitsu’s historic masterpiece “Eclipse,” composed in 1966 with performances by shakuhachi player Katsuya Yokoyama and biwa player Kinshi Tsuruta in mind. Side B opens with Michio Mamiya’s “Music for Four Kotos,” composed in 1957, followed by Masao Matsumoto’s 1957 koto duet “Poem of Tree and Stone.” Takemitsu’s A1 is, of course, essential, but the two works on the B side are also well worth noting, as both composers were already actively engaging with contemporary music for traditional Japanese instruments in the mid-to-late 1950s. The artwork is based on a design created by Kohei Sugiura for The Music of Toru Takemitsu Vol. 4, arranged here for this release.
A1: Toru Takemitsu “Eclipse for Biwa and Shakuhachi”
B1: Michio Mamiya “Music For 4 Kotos”
B2: Masao Matsumoto “Poem Of Tree And Stone”