Meet the composers of “Mondprinzessin” (Kaguya-Hime) - #5 Somei Satoh
Somei Satoh
Somei Satoh has emerged as one of Japan’s most highly acclaimed composers. Filtered through Toru Takemitsu’s cross-cultural prism, his work shares similarities with the post-Minimalism of composers such as Arvo Pärt and Henryk Gorecki as well as the sacred music of iconoclasts such as John Tavener. All this to say that Satoh’s music is dramatic, powerful and unabashedly gorgeous without descending to melodrama and the wearing of his heart on his sleeve.
This disc marks the first recording of Satoh’s music for orchestra.
Kisetsu (1993) was commissioned in 1999 by Kurt Masur for the New York Philharmonic as part of the “Messages for the Millenium” Series. In the series, it was Masur’s intent that the composers “write a musical message for the year 2000, a universal message of hope to the people of the world.”
From the Depth of Silence (2000, rev. 2001), commissioned by the Shinnittetsu Foundation, is Satoh’s first composition for orchestra. The pacing, nearly devoid of momentum, suggests a work that derives from Japanese culture and tradition. By creating a sonic world where time is suspended, Satoh invites the listener to investigate all of the subtleties and nuances of the musical landscape that he has created. The tubular bells, as well as the occasional harp also serve as coloristic punctuation and counterpoint to the sustained tones of the other orchestral instruments.
