Maki Ishii Live
Ryan Scott, percussion
Esprit Orchestra
Alex Pauk,
conductor
Innova 809
Maki Ishii
1. Saidoki 13:45
2. Concertante 20:18
3. South
– Fire – Summer 18:04
Total: 51:57
This recording is another brilliant example
of the truism that the work of a composer only lives through his artists. We
commend Ryan Scott and the Esprit Orchestra for creating an amazing and
beautiful performance in which the musical universe of our late husband and
father Maki Ishii lives on. This most certainly is an important contribution to
the recorded repertoire of his works.
– June 2011, the heirs of Maki Ishii
Maki Ishii was born as the third son of Ishii Baku, the pioneer of
modern dance in Japan. He is recognized as one of Japan's foremost composers,
and his works are frequently performed throughout the world.
Ishii's earliest works show the influence of the avant-garde
compositional methods he studied in Tokyo and Berlin. But since he turned his
attention to Japanese traditional music in the late 1960s, his creative endeavour has been rooted in the attempt to stride two
musical worlds by employing both European compositional method and elements
from the sound work of Japanese traditional music in his work.
After studying composition and conducting in Tokyo, Maki Ishii went to
Germany in 1958 and continued his studies at the Berlin Academy of Music.
Returning to Japan in 1962, he created many new works, working mainly in Tokyo.
In 1969 he was invited to participate in the Artists-in-Residence Program of
the German Academic Exchange Service in Berlin. Since then he had been very
active as a composer, conductor, and organizer based in both Berlin and Tokyo.
In such works as "So-Gu I" for shakuhachi and piano (1970), "So-Gu
II" for gagaku and orchestra (1972), and
"Mono-Prism" for Japanese drums and orchestra (1976), he built upon
the foundations of his own unique sound world, with Western and Japanese
instruments being used in the same temporal and spatial setting.
From the late 1970s on, his creative work became more and more
recognized, with many concerts being devoted entirely to his works, such at the
Paris Fall Festival in 1978, the Berlin Art Week in 1981, the Maki Ishii
Exhibition in Tokyo 1989 and Osaka 1994, and the Maki Ishii Works Collection in
The Hague 1992.
Ishii also conducted many of the world's leading orchestras, including
the Berlin Philharmonic, the Orchestre de Paris, the
Boston Symphony, and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, in performances of his works. Particularly
successful, both as composer and conductor, has been his two-act ballet "Kaguyahime" -- choreographed by Jiři
Kyli‡n for the Nederlands Dans Theater -- throughout Europe and Japan.
Since the mid 1990s, the search for new musical worlds turned his
interest towards traditional and modern Chinese music. He composed several
works which include Chinese instruments or use Chinese poems. In 1996 and 2002
he organized and conducted the Japan-China Friendship Cooperation Performance
of contemporary Japanese orchestral works in Beijing and Shanghai, at the
invitation of the Culture Ministry of the People's Republic of China.
Ishii has been the recipient of many awards including the Otaka Prize, the Nakajima Music prize, the German Critics
Prize, and the Kyoto Music Award. In 1999 he was decorated with the Purple
Ribbon Medal of Honor by the Emperor of Japan.
Maki Ishii died in April 2003 in Japan, age 66. His last work, the
symphonic poem "Illusion and Death" was performed posthumously two
months later.
www.ishii.de/maki/en
1. Saidōki (Demon)
for percussion solo and orchestra
Opus 86 (1989)
– Part III of the symphonic
linked work "Floating
Wind" (1992)
In 1423, the then 61
years old Zeami [Motokiyo] wrote the "Sandō" [Three Elements
in Composing in Play], in which
he wrote down the foundation of the original Nō-play, for his second son. In it, the
following passage can be found:
"The
"Saidōfū" style takes roughness as a foundation while one has to crush the body in performing.Ò
"To
perform the demon of the "saidōfū" is to
form the outer appearance of a demon with the inner soul of a human."
(Remark: "sai" means "to crush",
"dō" movement,
"fū" is
style, "ki" means
demon.)
The title of my work
"Saidōki" therefore
denotes the "ki"-demon of the "Saidō" style.
In the percussion solo of my work, the
metal percussion are in the center, which
with the addition of the wooden (bamboo) percussions creates a peculiar and unique compund sound. When these sounds
merge with the sound of the
orchestra, the outward "vigorous and rough demon" with an inner "human soul"
appears, seeking to create a new sound
universe.
2. Concertante
for Marimba Solo and 6 percussionists Op.
79
It was several years ago that Keiko Abe and Les Percussions de
Strasbourg honoured me by asking me to write a work
for them to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the foundation of the
ensemble. I am very happy that I have at last managed to respond to their
request in the form of the present work, Concertante
for Marimba Solo and 6 Percussionists.
As suggested by the title, the marimba and the ensemble perform together
in a relationship which, as manifested in rhythm and tone colour,
is sometimes antagonistic and sometimes harmonious. Nevertheless, the sonic and dynamic
structure of the work contains new elements not present within the conventional
concept of the concertante form. The core of the work
is formed by two principal elements, namely the clash between indeterminate and
determinate rhythms, and the fusion between metallic, silvery tone colours in the Western manner and wooden tone colours in the East Asian manner.
I have dedicated this Concertante to Keiko
Abe, the radiant founder of the contemporary art of marimba performance, and
Les Percussions de Strasbourg, the ensemble which has played a crucial and
pioneering role in spreading percussion music all over the world.
3. Percussion Concerto "South -
Fire - Summer"
for percussion solo and orchestra (1992), Op.95
Percussion instruments assume
widely differing characteristics depending on how they are
played.
In this concerto I have striven after the enormous diversity
which is a feature of percussion instruments and especially of the marimba; making
transcendental technical demands of the performer, I have pursued areas such as the unique sound
world of percussion instruments and the idea of acoustic accumulation, the dynamism of the marimba, and rhythmic transformation in the writing for the
drums. I have then pitted the
solo percussion part against the orchestra
to give expression to a new world of sound.
The concept of physical
direction has borne a close relationship with musical order in Japanese
traditional music. A musical treatise
known as the Kangen Ongi, dating from the
Kamakura Period (1185-1333)
goes into this question in detail. South, fire, and summer – the three elements
which constitute the subtitle of this work – and the traditional Japanese scale of ōshiki-chō
on which the acoustic material of my work is based
are treated in the Kangen Ongi as metonyms for the direction
of south. Furthermore, E
flat, D, E, F, and B – the constituent
pitches of a motif which plays an important role in the work – are taken from
German pitch names which appear in the German and English forms of the subtitle, i.e. sŸd, feuer, sommer
– south,
fire, summer.
This percussion concerto
thus employs a combination of western motif-based
compositional technique and
eastern directional concepts, and it is through this
combination that I have attempted to provide the work
with its internal acoustic shading. I have striven after a new and unified sense of musical order and harmony
through the incorporation of elements and
formal techniques associated
with the music of both East and West.
– Notes by Maki Ishii
Ryan Scott
Critically
acclaimed percussionist Ryan Scott is one of Canada's most illustrious and
esteemed musicians of his generation. On this CD are his
first performances and the North American premieres of the Ishii concerti,
played from memory and recorded live in performance by CBC Radio 2.
In addition
to his work as a regular guest artist with NEXUS, Principal Percussionist of
the Esprit Orchestra and percussionist in the Canadian Opera Company (since
1996), Ryan Scott is also a sought-after soloist, chamber musician, and
teacher. A core member of Continuum
Contemporary Music (founded 1985), he also serves as co-artistic director. He performs regularly with Soundstreams Canada, New Music Concerts, The Evergreen Club
Contemporary Gamelan, The Bob Becker Ensemble, ArpaTambora
and Toronto New Music Projects, with whom he has presented recitals focusing on
the music of Franco Donatoni, Philippe Leroux, Giaconto Scelsi and Stefan Wolpe.
Highlights of his concerto repertoire include North American premieres
of Concertante for Marimba, South Fire Summer and Saidoki by
Maki Ishii, Doppelkonzert
by Unsuk Chin, and a commissioned work, Concerto for Marimba by Erik Ross
with the Esprit Orchestra.
Additionally, he has appeared as soloist with The National Arts Centre
Orchestra, The Hyogo Performing Arts Centre Orchestra, The Austin Symphony, The
Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and Amici
Strings.
Ryan has performed
in over 200 world premieres; of which over 25 he has commissioned with the
generous assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts, The Ontario Arts
Council, The Toronto Arts Council and the Laidlaw Foundation. Most recent premieres for percussion
include works by Canadian composers Norma Beecroft,
Michael Colgrass, Peter Hatch, Christos Hatzis, Michael Oesterle, Bruce
Mather and Andrew Staniland. He has also collaborated with Thomas Ades, Pierre Boulez, George Crumb, Guus
Janssen, Mauricio Kagel, Aaron Jay Kernis, Philippe Leroux, MC
Maguire, John Oswald, Steve Reich, Roger Reynolds, James Rolfe, Murray Schafer,
Joseph Schwantner, and Gilles Tremblay in the presentation
of their works.
Ryan has performed
at festivals extensively throughout North America and Europe and also in Japan,
Indonesia and South Africa including multiple appearances at Huddersfield, The Fringe, Muziekgebouw
aan't IJ, BAM, and as a prominently featured soloist
at all of the Cooldrummings International Percussion
Festivals in Toronto.
Twice nominated for
a Juno, he has recorded over 25 CDs for NAXOS, Artifact, CBC, CMC and Innova recordings.
Select recordings include collaborations with Rivka
Golani, Bob Becker, Robert Aitken, Joseph Petric, and a heritage rudimental drum recording titled ÒStars and StripesÓ with The Canadian
Brass and members of NEXUS which reached number two on the Billboard Charts.
Ryan is very
grateful to have studied with Russell Hartenberger
and Robin Engelman at the University of Toronto where
he attained both Bachelor and Masters degrees in Music performance completing
his studies in 1997.
Ryan lives in
Toronto with his wife, harpist Sanya Eng and their
three children.
Esprit Orchestra
Esprit Orchestra is
Canada's only full-sized orchestra devoted exclusively to performing and
promoting new orchestral music.
Founded in 1983 by Music
Director and Conductor Alex Pauk, this innovative
Toronto-based orchestra, through its annual subscription concert series, commissions,
performs and promotes music by Canadian composers, such as Douglas Schmidt,
Chris Paul Harman, R Murray Schafer, John Rea and Ana Sokolovic.
The series also features Canadian premieres of music by leading International
composers, including Adams, Andriessen, Kurt‡g, Ligeti, Penderecki, Schnittke, Takemitsu, van der Aa, among many
others. Esprit concerts are regularly recorded for broadcast by CBC Radio Two (94.1 FM), making the
orchestra's distinctive music available to musical patrons worldwide.
Every season, Alex Pauk
and his core 65-member orchestra collaborate with outstanding soloists and
ensembles to give audiences spine-tingling performances of contemporary
classical music in the acoustically acclaimed Koerner
Hall at the Royal Conservatory of Music TELUS Centre for Performance and
Learning.
www.espritorchestra.com
Alex Pauk,
composer, conductor, educator, entrepreneur, had much to do with revitalizing
Canadian orchestral musical life for composers by founding Esprit Orchestra in
1983. Through building and sustaining its high calibre
performances, commissioning programme, innovative
programming, recordings, education and outreach initiatives,
Pauk has made Esprit a major force for developing and promoting Canadian
music at home and abroad. As a conductor he attains performances of the highest
caliber on stage and in recordings. He was named Musician of the Year (1999) by peers at the Toronto MusiciansÕ
Association. PaukÕs commissioning, performance and
promotion of Canadian music is central to his work with Esprit. The
introduction to Canada of significant compositions from abroad is also an
important aspect of his activity.
His CBC Records compact discs of Canadian
music are an important set in the overall catalogue of CDs in Canada and his
work with performing arts filmmaker Larry Weinstein of Rhombus Media have set
new standards in the genre. Pauk has been a leader in
taking new music out of the concert hall and to people in their communities
with performances in alternative locations such as the CN Tower and nightclubs,
art galleries and the outdoors.
Alex Pauk has a
very wide range of experience as a composer with works for every kind of
performing ensemble, the theatre as well as dance companies. He has composed
more than sixty works and has both composed for and conducted CBC Vancouver
Orchestra, New Music Concerts, Vancouver New Music, QuŽbec Symphony, Hannaford
Street Silver Band and the Toronto Symphony. In 2007, he was awarded the
prestigious Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prize.
CREDITS
Saidoki (Demon) (1989-1992) recorded
May 1, 2009; Doug Doctor, engineer
Concertante for Marimba (1988), recorded
March 24, 2000;
David ÒStretchÓ Quinney,
engineer, Frank Finistauri, Assistant Engineer
Percussionists: Bill Brennan, Mark Duggan, Paul Houle, Blair Mackay,
Andrew Morris, Trevor Tureski
South-Fire-Summer (1992) recorded May
11, 2008;
Steve Sweeney, engineer, Frank Finistauri, Assistant Engineer
All performances recorded live in Jane Mallett Theatre, Toronto, Ontario.
David Jaeger, Producer, Mastering, CBC
Radio
Licensed from CBC Records and made
possible through the courtesy of CBC Radio Music,
a Division of the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation.
© Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Cover and additional photos by Kei Ishii
of ÒCidelo IhosÓ designed
by Kazuo Harada and Yasunori Yamaguchi
Innova is supported by an
endowment from the McKnight Foundation
Philip Blackburn, director, design
Chris Campbell, operations manager
www.innova.mu