Kawagoe Sowa Soyukai Symphonic Band 48th Regular Concert

We have prepared a hot program based on the concept of "A Journey of Rebirth through Music.
Please refer to the image for the details of the concept.

The first part will be a performance of "The Sun Burns Up on the Horizon" from the work of Toshio Majima, who regrettably passed away 10 years ago in 2016, followed by "A Journey of Rebirth" commissioned by the Yamagata Symphony Orchestra to up-and-coming composer Miyuko Oda, which takes us to the three mountains of Dewa (Mount Haguro, Mount Tsukiyama, Mount Yudono) in Yamagata Prefecture, Toshio Majima's home town. 〜The Yamagata Symphony Orchestra will perform "Symphony No. 11 "Alarm Bell" from "Symphony No. 1905" by Shostakovich, whose 120th birthday is coming up at the end of this concert, The composer himself is also a tragic composer who suffered continuous oppression by the government, so the performance will be based on his past experiences as a "warning bell" and a desire for peace. (In 2019, Shostakovich Symphony No. 10 will also be performed. https://youtu.be/nwO7RggnW_U?si=RleSF5spDJc1u5iE)

The second part of the concert will be a performance of James Barnes' masterpiece, Symphony No. 3 in its entirety✨Composed in 1994, this symphony is a traditional "from anguish to joy" in memory of Mr. Barnes' own daughter, Natalie, who died when she was only six months old. The first movement expresses the despair and anguish of the loss of his daughter through timpani blows, a man's sobbing tuba solo, and various rhythmic changes. The second movement is a satire, expressing the arrogance and egotism of people who feel desperate. Similar to the second movement of Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, "The Ball," this is a scene in which one feels the irrelevance of one's own feelings to those of others. The third movement, "For Nathalie," as the title suggests, is a memorial to his late daughter Nathalie and a fantasy of what would have happened if she were still alive. The fourth movement, "For Nathalie," expresses joy over the birth of her son Billy, born three days after she finished composing the piece, and then accepts Nathalie's death and ends in a somewhat melancholy joyous mood based on the hymn "Lamb of God" sung at the funeral service.

The ancient belief of the three mountains of Dewa as a "journey of rebirth" has been passed down from generation to generation. In the spirit of this belief, we will do our best to make this year's performance a year of musical pilgrimage to the past, present, and future, in the hope that everyone will be filled with vitality.