Search - Yoritsune Matsudaira, Ken Takeseki, Osaka Century Orchestra :: Matsudaira: Bugaku Dance Suite

Exotic? Yes. Brilliant? Yes. Will everyone like it? Well...

Erik Homenick | San Diego, California | 11/12/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Yoritsune Matsudaira was one of Japan's first great orchestral composers. His music can be described as "ancient Japan meets avant-garde modernism." Some might find his idiom too dry and without much visceral emotion, but his modern interpretations of Japanese court music ("gagaku") for a full Western-style orchestra are indeed as unique as anything to be found on a major classical label.



THEME AND VARIATION FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA is perhaps the most modern, "European sounding" and accessible piece on this album, no doubt due to the prominence of the piano passages and its comparitively close adherence to Western musical conventions. The original theme is taken from "gagaku" and reworked 6 more times, each time with striking tonal color and rhythmic inventiveness. The orchestration is impressive, yet it may seem cold and astringent at first. Matsudaira was something of an "anti-romantic" and thus gives us the goods without more than he felt needed.



The remaining pieces on this disc emphasize on "gagaku" almost exclusively, and this is where most classical connoisseurs might get turned off. The music is, for the most part, slow and hypnotic, yet somewhat repetitive and without much variation; honestly, the remaining 4 works are so similar to each other, they sound as if they could be various movements from one single piece.



Woodwinds, brass and percussion reign supreme on the final four pieces here and the "gaps" left by the exclusion of other instruments is noticeable immediately. Nevertheless, the listener is treated to brilliant imitations of traditional Japanese instruments by a Western-style orchestra. The music is short on occidental melody and mood but its exotically archaic texture is sure to fascinate. However, the repetitiveness of this music can become somewhat tiresome and the novelty of the music tends to wear off after a while.



For music that takes you to another world, literally, Naxos' Matsudaira disc will fit the bill. For the average classical fan, however, be prepared...Beethoven, Bach and Brahms this certainly ain't! In fact, I'd venture to say this recording would be of more interest to fans of traditional Japanese music more than anything else.



The audio qualities, as is usually the case with Naxos, are well above par."