Aurora Orchestra Special Concert 2023

We, the AURORA Orchestra, have been performing a program specialized in Russian music in our subscription concerts, but we have also been performing music (other than Russian music) that is difficult to be featured in our regular concerts in the form of special concerts. In 2023, we will be performing orchestral works by Japanese composers for the first time in 14 years, since the "Triptych" by Yasunobu Akutagawa.
Takashi Yoshimatsu, a contemporary Japanese composer, attracted attention when the finale of his Symphony No. 2 "On Earth (Terra)" was delivered to the whole world at the climax of the torch lighting scene at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Since then, his works have been performed more and more frequently, and his symphonies are already scheduled to be performed by many major Japanese professional orchestras this year and next, and his CDs have been released in Japan. We, too, will be the first amateur orchestra to perform his Symphony No. 5.
The reason why we, the Aurora Orchestra, decided to perform a contemporary Japanese work instead of Russian music, which is our usual concept, is that we are living in the 21st century, and since we have formed an orchestra in the 21st century, we would like to perform a piece composed in the 21st century. We are Japanese, after all. And because we are Japanese, we wanted to feature music by Japanese composers. We chose Takashi Yoshimatsu's Symphony No. 5 not only because it was in vogue, but also because we felt a hopeful future in the familiar tune of this work for modern people and the brilliant sound of its finale.
Starting with the first movement that pays homage to Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 "Theme of Destiny," the second movement has strong jazz elements, the beautiful Adagio of the third movement, which is a wistful reflection on his late sister, and the fourth movement, a mix of Beatles and progressive rock that runs at full speed. Finally, a relentless triplet, developed from the "theme of destiny" and reminiscent of the coda of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad," leads to a climax that looks toward the future. It is precisely because we live in an uncertain world today that we would like to play the echoes of the glorious coda written by a composer living in the same country and the same time period as us, dreaming of hope for the future.