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8.557587 Akira Ifukube (geb.1914) Januar des darauffolgenden Jahres vom Indianapolis weitgehend ‚verfremdete’ Behandlung des Soloparts, Sinfonia Tapkaara • Ritmica Ostinata • Sinfonische Fantasie Nr. 1 Symphony Orchestra unter Fabien Sevitsky der eher an Instrumente wie Dulcimer oder Santur oder DDD uraufgeführt und ist seitdem vor allem in Japan häufig sogar Koto oder Biwa denken lässt. Von der Form her Akira Ifukube wurde 1914 in Kushiro auf der Insel Ifukube jedoch ein „Sonntagskomponist“ – seinen gespielt worden. Das mit dreifachem Holz, Harfe, ähnelt Ritmica Ostinata einem Rondo. Hokkaido in eine altehrwürdige japanische Familie Hauptberuf hatte er nach dem Studienabschluss als verschiedenen Schlaginstrumenten sowie Streichern Ifukube verdiente seinen Lebensunterhalt geboren, deren Stammbaum sich bis ins siebte Forstbeamter in den Bergen Hokkaidos gefunden. Nur besetzte Werk spielt in seinem Titel auf einen von den hauptsächlich mit pädagogischen Arbeiten und – vor Akira Jahrhundert zurückverfolgen lässt, als die ersten in den Abendstunden beschäftigte er sich mit Stammesältesten der Ainu bei Ritualen und Festen allem zwischen 1947 und 1970, aber gelegentlich auch namentlich erwähnten Vorfahren als Shintopriester am Musiktheorie und dem Studium von Partituren. aufgeführten Tanz an. Der erste Satz, dessen Schema noch danach – mit der Komposition von Filmmusiken. Ube-Schrein in Tottori wirkten. Die politischen und Nach dem 2. Weltkrieg begann Ifukube sich mit sich entfernt an der Sonatenform orientiert, beginnt mit Seine Regisseur-Partner waren u.a. Akira Kurosawa, IFUKUBE kulturellen Umwälzungen im Japan des neunzehnten dem Wechsel nach Tokio hauptberuflich der einer Lento molto überschriebenen Introduktion, aus der Mikio Naruse und Joseph von Sternberg. Zu den Jahrhunderts und der damit einhergehende kompositorischen Arbeit zu widmen. Viele seiner sich ein Allegro entwickelt, dessen zweites, von der Filmen, die Ifukube musikalisch betreute, zählen Machtverlust der Aristokratie zwangen Ifukubes japanischen Zeitgenossen hatten inzwischen bereits Trompete über Klarinette, Harfe und Streichern Streifen wie die weltberühmte Godzilla-Serie: Seine Sinfonia Tapkaara Großvater, seine Heimatregion zu verlassen und auf der damit begonnen, europäische Avantgarde-Techniken zu vorgestelltes Thema an ein primitives Wiegen- oder Sinfonische Fantasie Nr. 1 ist ein Konzertarrangement vergleichsweise zurückgebliebenen nördlichen Insel übernehmen. Ifukube hingegen verschloss sich dieser Kinderlied erinnert, wie es in der Ainu- und in Medley-Manier von solchen für diese Art von Ritmica Ostinata • Symphonic Fantasia No. 1 Hokkaido eine neue Existenz zu gründen. Dort lernte neuen Richtung und blieb den ethnischen Idiomen altjapanischen Musik vielfach begegnet. In der Horror- und Monsterfilmen entstandenen Soundtracks. Akira Ifukube später die Musik des einheimischen verpflichtet. Der Erfolg blieb nicht aus: Mit ihrem Durchführung (Andante) werden die beiden Themen in Das im August 1983 vom Sinfonieorchester Tokio unter Ekaterina Saranceva, Piano Ainu-Volksstammes und anderer, jüngerer Reichtum an multikulturellen Melodien und Rhythmen einem langsamen Marschtempo weiterentwickelt. Nach Yasuhiko Shiozawa uraufgeführte Werk ist seither in Siedlergruppen kennen. Der schulische Musikunterricht haben seine Arbeiten nicht nur die klassische kurzen Episoden im Solohorn und Solocello folgen ganz Japan gespielt worden. Die Introduktion basiert Russian Philharmonic Orchestra • Dmitry Yablonsky vermittelte ihm mittels Tonaufnahmen erste Eindrücke Musikszene Japans, sondern sogar die Popmusik des Reprise und Coda. Das dreiteilig angelegte Adagio auf dem Motiv der Erscheinung des Godzilla, wie es in der neuesten abendländischen Musik von u.a. Ravel und Landes entscheidend beeinflusst. Ifukube gilt als bedient sich in seinem ersten Thema japanischen den Godzilla-Filmen häufig begegnet. Es handelt sich Strawinsky, und es entstand in ihm der Wunsch, eines Kultfigur für all diejenigen, die am Primat der pentatonischen Tonleitern (Ryo, Ritsu, Miyako-bushi). dabei um einer Art grotesker chromatischer Musik unter Tages einen nordasiatischen Musikstil mit einer asiatischen Tradition innerhalb der modernen Ifukube beschreibt diesen Satz als Impression der Verwendung sämtlicher zwölf Halbtöne der Oktave. Es Synthese aus den ethnischen Klängen der Ainu mit der japanischen Musik festhalten. Seine von strengen nächtlichen Stille in Otofuke. Der dritte Satz, Vivace, folgen die Titelmusiken aus Godzilla, König der persönlichen Vorliebe für slawische Elemente zu Ostinati und repetitiven Mustern gekennzeichnete schildert mit der Verwendung des Tapkaara-Tanzes das Monster (1954) und King Kong gegen Godzilla (1962), entwickeln. Fasziniert im Besonderen von Strawinskys Kompositionstechnik lässt sich jedoch auch nach lebhafte Treiben eines Ainu-Festes. das Liebesthema aus Krieg im Weltenall (1959), das Sacre du printemps, begann er sich im Selbststudium minimalistischen oder post-minimalistischen Kriterien Ritmica Ostinata wurde 1961 vollendet und noch Varagon-Motiv aus Frankenstein gegen Varagon die Grundlagen der Kompositionslehre anzueignen. definieren. im selben Jahr vom Sinfonieorchester Tokio unter der (1965) und die Kriegsmusik aus Ghidrah (1964), in der 1935, während seines Studiums der Forstwirtschaft Ifukube lehrte in Tokio an der Universität für Stabführung Mosashi Uedas uraufgeführt; der Solist Godzilla durch das in der Introduktion verwendete an der kaiserlichen Universität Hokkaido, nahm Ifukube Schöne Künste und Musik und (als Dekan) an der war Yutaka Kanai. Die hier eingespielte revidierte Thema dargestellt wird und sein Gegenspieler, das mit seiner Japanischen Rhapsodie für großes Orchester Staatlichen Musikakademie. Zu seinen Schülern Fassung erklang erstmals 1972. Ifukube verwendet in Ungeheuer Radon, durch ein chromatisches Motiv der [Naxos 8.555071] am Tscherepnin-Wettbewerb teil, gehören Yasushi Akutagawa, Toshiro Mayuzumi, Akio diesem konzertanten Werk dieselbe Besetzung wie in Trompete. Nach einer Fanfare folgt der dessen Jury ihm den 1. Preis zuerkannte. Verbunden Yashiro, Teizo Matsumura, Sei Ikeno, Minoru Miki und seiner Sinfonia Tapkaara. Eines der vier Marschabschnitt, in dem der Marsch aus Krieg im war der Preis mit einem Kurzstudium bei Tscherepnin Maki Ishii. Zu Ifukubes Kompositionen zählen charakteristischen Merkmale, die die Werkgestalt Weltenall und sein quasi-pentatonisches Äquivalent aus in Yokohama. Die Welturaufführung der Rhapsodie Orchesterwerke, Kantaten, Ballettmusiken, prägen, ist die bereits im Titel vorgezeichnete dem Streifen Zerstört alle Monster miteinander spielte 1936 das Boston People’s Orchestra unter der Kammermusik, Stücke für Klavier und Gitarre, Musik Ostinatotechnik. Weitere Kennzeichen sind ein verwoben werden. Leitung des Koussevitsky-Neffen Fabien Sevitsky. für altjapanische Instrumente, Lieder auf hexatonisches Skalenmuster (die potentielle Basis für 1938 erhielt Ifukube beim Internationalen Festival für nordjapanische Volksweisen und an die dreihundert pan-pentatonische bzw. pan-asiatische Musik und eine zeitgenössische Musik in Venedig für seine Filmmusiken. Neben seiner kompositorischen Arbeit mögliche Verbindung von Penta- und Heptatonik, von Gekürzte Fassung eines Beitrags Klaviersuite einen weiteren begehrten Preis, und hat sich Ifukube auch mit musikwissenschaftlichen Orient und Okzident), die häufige Verwendung eines an von Morihide Katayama europäische und amerikanische Verlage begannen sich Veröffentlichungen einen Namen gemacht. literarische Vorbilder angelehnten Vierer- bzw. für seine Werke zu interessieren. Vorläufig blieb Die 1954 vollendete Sinfonia Tapkaara wurde im Siebener-Metrums, und schließlich eine pianistisch Deutsche Übersetzung: Bernd Delfs 8.557587 56 8.557587 557587 bk IfukubeEU 08/08/2005 13:04 Page 2

year by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra under pentatonic and heptatonic scales, Orient and Occident. Ekaterina Saranceva Akira Ifukube (b.1914) Sevitzky. The work was later revised and the new The third feature is the frequent use of metres of five Sinfonia Tapkaara • Ritmica Ostinata • Symphonic Fantasia No. 1 version was first given in Tokyo in April 1980, with and seven beats, reflecting literary tradition, and the The pianist Ekaterina Saranceva was born in 1962 and started her musical studies at the age of five at the Moscow Yasushi Akutagawa and the New Symphony Orchestra. fourth is the non-pianistic treatment of the solo part, Central Music School, continuing thereafter at the Moscow State Conservatory. In 1984 she won first prize among Akira Ifukube was born in 1914 in Hokkaido into a and living in the deep mountains of Hokkaido. He read It has since been played widely in Japan. It is scored for suggesting the dulcimer or the santur, or even the koto a field of 52 competitors from nineteen different countries at the Montreal International Piano Competition, family whose ancestry could be traced back at least to about musical theories and studied scores, composing triple wind, harp, varied percussion and strings. and biwa. The work is in a form suggesting a rondo, winning the first prize in the same year at the International Competition for Radio Recordings in Bratislava. Her the seventh century, serving as hereditary Shinto priests only at night lit by the lamp in his hut. His way of life Tapkaara denotes a dance style of the Ainu, danced by with an Allegro framing slower sections. career has brought appearances in Russia and in the United States and Canada, with other engagements elsewhere at the Ube Shrine in Tottori. The political and cultural reflected his antipathy to the Occidental concept of the tribal leader on rituals and feasts, often expressing Ifukube later made his living mainly by teaching in Europe. changes in Japan in the nineteenth century and the loss modern urban life. In these surroundings he studied the gratitude for the blessings of nature. This would be and by writing music for films, particularly between of traditional aristocratic power led Ifukube’s music of northern races and wrote some important familiar to Ifukube, who, while not making such full use 1947 and 1970, although he continued to write such grandfather to move to the relatively neglected northern works, including his Symphony Concerto for piano and of Ainu music, reflects his antipathy towards modern music from time to time after that date. The film Russian Philharmonic Orchestra island of Hokkaido, where his father held an official orchestra (1941) and Symphonic Ballade (1943). civilisation and avant-garde music. The first movement directors he worked with include Akira Kurosawa, position. Hokkaido brought contact with the music of After World War II Ifukube eventually became a in quasi-sonata form starts with a Lento molto Mikio Naruse and Joseph von Sternberg, and he held a The Russian Philharmonic Orchestra is firmly rooted in Russia’s rich musical traditions, and has achieved an the inigenous Ainu and of other more recent settlers. professional composer and moved to Tokyo. In those introduction, leading to an Allegro, its second theme position parallel to that of Toru Takemitsu and Fumio impressive and outstanding musical quality by drawing its musicians from the highest ranks of Russia’s most Schooling in Sapporo introduced him to the latest days, many of his contemporaries were eager to presented by trumpet over clarinet, harp and strings, Hayasaka. His music for the cinema includes many famous orchestras such as the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Russian National Orchestra and the State western music through records and scores of Ravel, de assimilate avant-garde music from Europe, but Ifukube sounding like a primitive lullaby or nursery rhyme monster films like Godzilla. Symphonic Fantasia No.1 Symphony Orchestra. The Russian Philharmonic Orchestra was originally formed as a recording ensemble and has Falla and Stravinsky, to whose styles he felt close, was against the movement and kept composing commonly found in Ainu and Japanese traditional is a medley-like concert arrangement by the composer gone on to receive high acclaim also for its concert performances. In addition to regular recordings for leading suggesting that it might be possible for him to create consistently in an ethnic style, finally winning music. There is an Andante development, where the two himself of his music for monster films represented by international companies, the orchestra has undertaken tours to Turkey, Austria, Germany, China, Taiwan, Finland North Asian music, where the ethnic sounds and acceptance. His music, brimming with multi-cultural themes are treated in a slow march tempo. After slow the Godzilla series. The work, first given in Tokyo in and elsewhere. Dmitry Yablonsky was appointed Music Advisor to the orchestra in 2003. aesthetics of Ainu and Japanese were to be combined melodies and rhythms, persistent ostinato and violent episodes by solo horn and solo cello, the music moves August 1983 by Yasuhiko Shiozawa and the Tokyo with his sympathy for Slavic elements. Particularly rhythms, has exerted influence even on Japanese pop to the recapitulation and conclusion. The ternary-form Symphony Orchestra, has been performed all over fascinated by Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps, he music. Ifukube is a cult figure for those who aspire for Adagio has a first theme that suggests the traditional ryo Japan. The introduction is based on the Appearance of Dmitry Yablonsky began composing by teaching himself in his late and advocate Asian music in modern Japan. It is also or ritsu pentatonic scales, together with a descending Godzilla motif frequently used in the Godzilla series. It adolescence. possible to define his repetitive music in relation to figure that reflects miyako-bushi, a traditional is grotesque chromatic music, using all the twelve notes Dmitry Yablonsky was born in 1962 into a musical family. His mother, Oxana Yablonskaya, is a highly regarded In 1935, when he was a student majoring in forestry minimalist or post-minimalist music. He taught at pentatonic scale symbolizing sadness. The composer of the octave. Then follows the title music for Godzilla concert pianist, and his father is a principal oboist with the Moscow Radio and Television Orchestra. He entered at the Agricultural Department of Hokkaido Imperial Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music and Tokyo describes this movement as an impression of a calm (1954), the title music for King Kong versus Godzilla the Central School of Music for Gifted Children in Moscow at the age of six, and at the age of nine made his University, Ifukube applied for the Tcherepnin Awards College of Music, even assuming the post of dean of the night in Otofuke. The third movement, Vivace, vividly (1962), the love theme from Battle in Outer Space orchestral début with Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major. In 1977, he and his mother emigrated to the United with his Japanese Rhapsody for full orchestra (Naxos latter. His pupils include Yasushi Akutagawa, Toshiro evokes Ainu celebration, with overt use of the Tapkaara (1959), the Varagon motif from Frankenstein versus States, where he studied at the Juilliard School of Music, the Curtis Institute, and Yale University. His principal 8.555071) and was chosen by the Paris jury for first Mayuzumi, Akio Yashiro, Teizo Matsumura, Sei Ikeno, dance and scale. Varagon (1965), and the battle music of Godzilla and cello teachers have been Isaak Buravsky, Stefan Kalianov, Aldo Parisot and Zara Nelsova. Dmitry Yablonsky has prize. The work received its world première in Tokyo in Minoru Miki and Maki Ishii. Ifukube is a prolific Ritmica Ostinata for piano and orchestra was the monster Radon from Ghidrah (1964), where performed in many prestigious venues throughout the world, including La Scala, Milan, the Concertgebouw in the 1936, by Fabien Sevitsky (Serge Koussevitsky’s composer and his list of works covers music for completed in 1961 and had its première in Tokyo in Godzilla is depicted by the motif used in the Netherlands, the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory, and St Petersburg Philharmonic Hall, in addition to nephew) and the Boston People’s Symphony Orchestra. orchestra, cantatas, music for ballet, pieces for chamber October of the same year with the soloist Yutaka Kanai introduction and Radon by a chromatic motif on the numerous appearances in the United States, including concerts at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. He has This success brought Ifukube an opportunity for ensemble, piano and guitar, music for Japanese and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra under Masashi trumpet. After a fanfare comes the march section, where appeared in collaboration with major orchestras and conductors, and together with chamber music partners of studying briefly with Tcherepnin in Yokohama. In 1938 traditional instruments, songs based on northern folk- Ueda. The composer later revised part of the score and the march from Battle in Outer Space and the quasi- distinction. His interest in conducting began at Yale, when he studied with Otto-Werner Müller and also with Yuri his first work, Piano Suite, received an award at the music, and some three hundred film scores. In addition the present version appeared in 1972. The pentatonic pastoral march from the 1968 film Destroy Simonov. He made his debut as a conductor in 1990 with the Santa Cecilia Orchestra of Rome. In 1999 he was Venice International Contemporary Music Festival. to that, he wrote a definitive work on orchestration, used instrumentation is the same as Sinfonia Tapkaara. This All Monsters are interwoven. named Principal Guest Conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, and has appeared as guest conductor Some of Ifukube’s works were published in the United by most Japanese composers. The present release concertante work has four chief characteristics. The first with orchestras in Europe and in the Far East, and was for three years Principal Guest Conductor of the Moscow States and Europe, sponsored by Tcherepnin, with contains three works representing Ifukube’s is the persistent use of ostinato. The second is the Symphony Orchestra. In 1998 he founded the summer Puigcerda Festival on the French-Spanish border, and in success that astonished the musical world in Tokyo. compositions after the war. reliance on the hexatonic scale, a potential for the basis Abridged from notes by Morihide Katayama 2002 became Principal Conductor of the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra. His many recordings, both as a cellist Ifukube, however, remained a “Sunday composer” for a Sinfonia Tapkaara was completed in 1954 and had of pan-pentatonic or pan-Asiatic music, if extracted and and as a conductor, include a number of releases for Naxos and Marco Polo. long time, becoming a forestry officer after graduation its première in Indianapolis in January of the following employed appropriately, a possible link between the Translation: SOREL 8.557587 2 3 8.557587 4 8.557587 557587 bk IfukubeEU 08/08/2005 13:04 Page 2

CMYK N AXOS Stimulated by Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, Akira Ifukube taught himself composition, while working as a forestry officer. His works, characterized by persistent ostinato, percussive sounds and multi-cultural melodies and rhythms, have something in common with the music of Orff, 8.557587 Khachaturian and Revueltas. Sinfonia Tapkaara was inspired by the primitive dances and songs 8.557587 of the ancient Japanese tribe, the Ainu, who stomped their feet to worship the earth. Ritmica IFUKUBE: Ostinata is a single movement ‘minimalist’ piano concerto alternating passages of increasingly DDD propulsive energy with static, dream-like interludes. The Symphonic Fantasia No. 1 is a concert arrangement by the composer himself, of his music for monster films including Godzilla. Playing Time 60:45

Akira Sinfonia Tapkaara • Ritmica Ostinata IFUKUBE (b. 1914)

Sinfonia Tapkaara (1954, rev. 1979) 25:57 1 Lento molto - Allegro 11:28 2 Adagio 6:21 3 Vivace 8:08 Made in the EU Booklet notes in English • Kommentar auf Deutsch Naxos Rights International Ltd. www.naxos.com

4 Ritmica Ostinata for Piano and Orchestra 21:33 2004 & (1961, rev. 1972)* 5 Symphonic Fantasia No. 1 (1983) 13:15 2005 Ivy Corporation & Sinfonia Tapkaara • Ritmica Ostinata Tapkaara Sinfonia Ekaterina Saranceva, Piano* Russian Philharmonic Orchestra • Dmitry Yablonsky

Recorded at Studio 5 of the Russian State TV & Radio Company KULTURA, Moscow,

IFUKUBE: 3rd-12th May, 2004 • Recorded and edited at 24 bit, 48 KHz resolution • Producer: Lubov Doronina

Engineer: Dmitry Missailov, Aleksander Karasev • Editor: Pavel Lavrenenkov 8.557587 Artistic Advisor & Booklet Notes: Morihide Katayama Special thanks to the New Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Cover Painting: A Good Catch (detail, 1904) by Aoki Shigeru (1882-1911)

AXOS (Ishibashi Museum of Art, Ishibashi Foundation) N