Joe Hisaishi presents Music Future

Programme

S. Reich (1936-)
Clapping Music

A. Pärt (1935-)
Summa for String Quartet

J. Hisaishi (1950-)
2 Pieces for Strange Ensemble
I.  Fast Moving Opposition
II. Fisherman’s Wives and Golden Ratio

W. Kilar (1932-2013)
Quintet for Wind Instruments

J. Hisaishi (1950-)
Variation 14 for Large Ensemble

Programme Notes

S. Reich: Clapping Music

Praised by the New York Times as “our greatest living composer”, the New York-born Jewish American composer Steve Reich is one of the leading figures of contemporary minimalism. His works incorporate elements of West Africa and those native to America (jazz in particular) into Western classical music.

The inspiration of Clapping Music came from Reich’s exposure to flamenco on a tour to Brussels. It involves two performers clapping hands, with the first one repeating the same rhythm and the other clapping variations based on the rhythm, until both eventually return to the same rhythm. The subtle rhythmic changes are continuously developed using the same pattern throughout, making it a delight to listen.

By Joe Hisaishi

A. Pärt: Summa for String Quartet

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, known as the Baltic States, were occupied by Germany and the former Soviet Union during World War II, and remained under Soviet occupation until 1991.

Arvo Pärt was born in 1935 and has continued composing to this day, spending many periods of his life in his occupied homeland (relocating to Austria in 1979, and later to Germany where he lived for a long period of his life). Pärt initially created works associated with avant-garde music in Western Europe, but in the 1970s, underwent a significant transformation in style. Both melody and harmony became exceptionally simple, and a sense of something spiritual emerged. How would you feel when listening to these compositions?

A slow-paced phrase repeated multiple times. The interplay between each instrument in the ensemble continues to evolve. Summa is a compilation of philosophical and theological essays, meaning something akin to "compendium." Well known is Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica, penned in the 13th century. Pärt developed his method of composition through trial and error, titled his work with this name. It was initially written as a choral piece in 1977 and later adapted for ensemble. The Kronos Quartet performed it in 1992.

Notes provided by Wonder City Inc.

J. Hisaishi: 2 Pieces for Strange Ensemble

2 Pieces for Strange Ensemble was written for Music Future Vol. 3. It started with the idea that I wanted to write a piece with an unusual instrumentation. The first piece was written in F minor using broken chords, and the second piece was written in F sharp minor to keep it as simple as possible. As a general idea, the first piece contrasts sound and silence, vibrancy and quiescence; whereas and the second piece is structured using the golden ratio of 1:1.618 (5:8) in terms of time. In other words, it gradually increases (to put it simply, it becomes more exciting) and slowly becomes calm after the point of the golden ratio. The golden ratio creates a sense of visual balance, but this is an experiment to see if the balance is also observable in time. The literal translation of the first piece, Fast Moving Opposition, is “the contrast of moving fast,” and the second piece, Fisherman’s Wives and Golden Ratio, is also literally “fishermen’s wives and the golden ratio,” so the titles do not make much sense. I was inspired by Salvador Dalí’s exhibition, but the inspiration did not come directly from his artworks. Nonetheless, it is true that I saw his Fast Moving Still Life and Four Fishermen’s Wives of Cadaqués out of the corner of my eye during the composition of this work, and they inspired me in some way. However, I used the idea of the golden ratio in my second piece, Fisherman’s Wives and Golden Ratio, even though the concept of the golden ratio was used in the former artwork, Fast Moving Still Life.

By Joe Hisaishi

W. Kilar: Quintet for Wind Instruments

Born in 1932, the Polish composer Wojciech Kilar composed works of classical music and film scores, with one of his works winning the Cesar Award for Best Film Music.

The Quintet is one of the very few chamber music outputs of Kilar, composed when he was 20, combining neoclassical melodies and harmonies with unadorned folk elements.

By Joe Hisaishi

J. Hisaishi: Variation 14 for Large Ensemble

Variation 14 for Large Ensemble is a composition I created in April 2020 as the second movement of Symphony No. 2. I re-composed it for a concert at Music Future Vol. 7. This piece aims to pursue the pure motion of sound. It is structured with a theme, 14 variations, and a coda. It’s approximately 11 minutes long and was designed to be easily comprehended (though challenging to perform). I believe that the most important thing now is to enjoy the music.

By Joe Hisaishi

Biographical Notes

Joe Hisaishi, Conductor

Hisaishi was born in Nagano, Japan. His interest in minimal music began while he was studying at the Kunitachi College of Music. His career as a solo artist took off in 1982 with the release of the album Information. Since then Hisaishi has released nearly 40 solo albums, including Minima_Rhythm (2009), Melodyphony (2010) and the most recent Minima_Rhythm IV (2021).

From the early 1980s, Hisaishi made a name for himself as a film music composer. He worked closely with anime director Hayao Miyazaki, for whom he composed ten film scores, including Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), My Neighbour Totoro (1988), Princess Mononoke (1997) and The Wind Rises (2013). He also gained international fame through his music for the films by Takeshi Kitano, such as Kids Return (1997) and Hana-Bi (1998). In general, he was involved in the music production of over 80 films worldwide. His works have received numerous awards, including the Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Music, for seven times.

Hisaishi is also in demand as both a pianist and orchestra conductor. In July 2004, he took on the position of principal music director of the New Japan Philharmonic World Dream Orchestra. His concert series “Joe Hisaishi presents Music Future” and “Future Orchestra Classics” brought him great popularity. For several years, Hisaishi has also conducted classical music and composed contemporary works such as The East Land Symphony (2016), The Border Concerto for 3 Horns and Orchestra (2020) and Symphony No. 2 (2021), Metaphysica (Symphony No. 3) and Viola Saga (2022).

The composer has worked with a variety of artists including Philip Glass, David Lang, Nico Muhly and Mischa Maisky, as well as with notable orchestras, from the Hong Kong Philharmonic and the Melbourne Symphony to the London Symphony Orchestra. He is visiting professor at Kunitachi College of Music, music partner with the New Japan Philharmonic, principal guest conductor with the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra, and the composer-in-residence with the Seattle Symphony from the 2023 season. In 2009 he was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon, an honour of merit bestowed by the Japanese government. His unique contribution to contemporary music and continued creativity in musical pursuits are highly valued around the world.

Macao Orchestra

The Macao Orchestra is a professional orchestra with a repertoire encompassing Chinese and Western classics throughout the times. Formerly known as Macao Chamber Orchestra, it was founded in 1983 by Father Áureo de Castro of the St. Pious X Academy of Music and a group of music lovers. In 2001, the ensemble was extended into an orchestra with double winds, adopting its current name.

Since the 1st of February 2022, the Macao Orchestra has been managed by the Macao Orchestra Company, Limited, which is wholly owned by the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, and from the 2023-24 season Lio Kuokman has been serving as the orchestra’s music director and principal conductor. The orchestra regularly collaborates with world-acclaimed musicians, conductors and art organisations to offer the public a diversity of classical musical events.

Macao Orchestra

Violins
Hou Zezhou
Li Na
Wang Xiaoying
Wang Yue

Violas
Xiao Fan
Zhang Yitian

Cello
Vincent Lu Jia

Double Bass
Tibor Toth

Flute
Weng Sibei

Oboe
Minyoung Park

Clarinet
Lee Kai Kin

Bassoon
Yung Tsangshien

Horn
Yu-Han Ho

Trumpet
Toshio Okuda

Trombone
Chiu Hon Kuen

Pianos
Lee Tsz Long John
Poon Ho Suet

Keyboards
Dora Tsang

Percussion
Chang Hio Man
Fung Chan Chi Wai

Disclaimer
The views / opinions expressed in the project are those of the project / project team only and do not reflect the views of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government.