Hashimoto: Symphony No. 2, 3 Wasan & Scherzo con sentimento Akiya Fukushima

• Qunihico Hashimoto (1904-1949): Symphony No. 2 in F major
• 1I. Allegro moderato20:28
• 2II. Finale13:12
• Three Wasan
• 3No. 1. The delicate, wondrous sounds of jewel-trees in the jewel-forests05:31
• 4No. 2. Pure winds blow in the jewel-trees04:55
• 5No. 3. Shine brilliantly from within each flower05:03
• Scherzo con sentimento
• 6Scherzo con sentimento16:07
• Total Runtime01:05:16

Info for Hashimoto: Symphony No. 2, 3 Wasan & Scherzo con sentimento

Qunihico Hashimoto was one of the leading Japanese composers in the first half of the twentieth century. His synthesis of Japanese and European musical forms was founded on two years of study and travel in the West. Symphony No. 2 was commissioned to celebrate Japan’s new post- war Constitution, but combines jubilation with an introspective nostalgia. Three Wasan sets Buddhist texts which describe the beauty of ‘pure land’ or heaven, merging traditional chant with bel canto expressiveness. Innovative for its time, the early Scherzo con sentimento melds Japanese music with Western neo-classicism.

„The playing is the best I’ve heard from the series, and the sound is up there, too.“ (Roger Hecht, American Record Guide)

„Qunihiko Hashimoto’s Symphony No. 2…[is] conventionally lyrical…certainly a pleasant…listening experience.

…[in] the Three Wasan…Hashimoto succeeds in combining Western and Japanese aesthetics into a comfortable unity, producing a work of subtlety and emotional depth. It is an intriguing approach to these ancient hymns that harks back to Hashimoto’s late-1920s experiments with jōruri set in Western song forms.

The Scherzo con sentimento…is melodically Japanese…The charming and evocative work is a remarkable achievement for a young autodidact composer, heralding an individuality of style…

As has been the case in many of the Naxos of Japan releases, Takuo Yuasa proves a keen advocate for the music of his homeland. The Tokyo Geidai Philharmonia…plays with great skill and conviction…the recording is outstanding.“ (Ronald E. Grames, Fanfare)

Akiya Fukushima, baritone
Tokyo Geidai Philharmonia
Takuo Yuasa, conductor

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