Abstract
New composition for ensemble. Commissioned by Vaganza, the new music ensemble of the University of Manchester, for a programme exploring new music influenced by or connected to Eastern musical forms. Kinshi develops material and sounds from Heike Monogatari, and specifically the playing and singing of Kinshi Tsurata the legendary performer of Satsuma Biwa, whose performance of the ballad 'Dan no Ura' is heard throughout the final story in Kobayashi's acclaimed film Kwaidan, a set of ghost stories from the writings of Lafcadio Hearn. The opening phrase of that ballad is woven into the music of Kinshi, and is heard clearly at the end. The music is also influenced by the orchestral gagaku – in that each instrument or pair of instruments has a single function and a small repertoire of phrases which vary only slightly. This is not Japanese music – but it behaves like Japanese music in some respects, creating a distinctive hybrid soundworld.
Original language | English |
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Publisher | Decipherer Arts Press |
Media of output | Score |
Publication status | Published - 13 Mar 2015 |