NHK Symphony Orchestra Music Tomorrow 2023 Unofficial

This year's Music Tomorrow will feature two Otaka Prize-winning works, which form the axis of this series, in the first half, and Miroslav Slunka's "Superorganism" in the second half. The "Double Concerto for Violin and Shamisen" is the last work by Ichiyanagi, and this will be the first time that a prize will be given for his posthumous work. While recalling the achievements of Ichiyanagi, who was always at the forefront of the times and continued to interact with young musicians even in his later years, the audience will be able to enjoy the steep sound world of this work, in which the violin, shamisen, and orchestra face each other at an exquisite distance. Also noteworthy is the performance by Mayumi Kanekawa, a young artist who excels at playing classical repertoire with great precision and emotion.
On the other hand, Fujikura, who will turn 46 this year, is almost half the age of Ichiyanagi at the time of his death, and this year's award will be his fourth work. In "Concerto for Shakuhachi," the shakuhachi's extended and sincere monologue is accompanied by the orchestral music that creates a multilayered and expansive sound. These two works are testament to the recent success of the Japanese instrumentalist.
The Czech-born Srnka shot to stardom in 2016 with the success of his opera "Antarctica," which was conducted by Petrenko and premiered with Villazon and Hampson singing the lead roles. While paying homage to his fellow countrymen Dvořák and Janácek, Srnka's music, which explores compositional methods and meticulously designs structures and sounds for each work, is filled with floating, neutral colors like a colored cloud, and sometimes even dreamlike. We hope to witness the rare moment when a new work by a composer at the forefront of contemporary European music is heard for the first time in the world.
Takatoshi Hirano (Musicology, Music Criticism)