The
ensemble has committed itself to an ongoing series of
recordings;it has already released two CDs which each
include both traditional and contemporary works.The ensemble
hopes that these recordings will further extend appreciation
of Eastern culture.
### [ Flutist from
the East ] vol.1 vol.2 ###
Manufactured by Nami Records Co.Ltd.
Vol.1 WWCC-7280 Vol.2 WWCC-7297
Vol.1 includes SATTOH for Noh-kan Shinobue
and two percussionists, AOBA-no-Fue for Biwa,Heike story
recitation with Fue.
Works by Katsutoshi Nagasawa.Traditional work from the
Heike story.
Vol.2 includes SAN-MU Shinobue Solo,DUO I,II,for
Vl.Percussion,with Fue.Works by Kenjiro URATA,David
Loeb,Yan-Qiao Wang.
$20.00 US
$25.00 CND
each.
US, CND,personal checks accepted.
The CD is a representative collection of flutist Kohei
Nishikawa's performances. He must not be misunderstood
as just a basic "flute handyman" but rather
as a premier musician with extensive education in the
flute, nohkan, and shinobue. Whether playing a Western
flute or a Japanese flute, it perfectly matches his
extraordinary talent.
As the son of a businessman in a trading firm, he has
known the world both inside and outside of Japan since
he was young. Along with the expansion of his knowledge
of other countries, came even stronger emotional ties
to Japan. He started to work as a principal flutist
in The Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra. He and I further
questioned and searched for the flute's "true sound"
and the image it evokes for the Japanese people.
Arguing against my opinion the classical sound like
that of Debussy's "Prelude a l'apresmidi d'un faune
", he insisted on the traditional sound found in
Japanese festivals.
Though not abandoning the Western approach, he then
learned the Japanese flute (nohkan, shinobue), joined
The Pro Musica Nipponia, and became a professional traditional
Japanese flutist. Since then, he has become well known
and respected as a great player by those knowledgeable
about Japanese traditional music.
He decided to produce his own CD to capture his past
work and assure the musical direction he would take
in the future. Much Asian traditional music has been
inherited independently in each country, but has never
appealed to the world as a whole or as a category like
Western music. As the 21st century approaches, a growing
interest in Asian music is gaining momentum and he believes
this CD is meaningful to this movement and the reestablishment
of Asian music.
In producing this CD, I can attest to its beauty and
perfect expression of the flute sound of Japan. We are
producing a 2nd and 3rd CD to continue this endeavor.
Without exaggeration, I consider this album not just
a musician's collection of work but a national treasure.
