JapanOC program to present "Tribute to Toru Takemitsu" by Jazz guitars, Dec 19

Tribute to Toru Takemitsu

Presented by the Philharmonic Society of Orange County

Sunday, December 19, 8:00 pm

Samueli Theater

Orange County Performing Arts Center, part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts

615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Kazumi Watanabe (Photo by Leslie Kee)

Artists:

Kazumi Watanabe, guitar

Daisuke Suzuki, guitar

coba, accordion

Tomohiro Yahiro, percussion

Program
Folio 1 from "Folios"
Bad Boys, directed by Susumu Hani
Izu Dancer, directed by Hideo Onchi
Dodes'ka-den, directed by Akira Kurosawa
Hymn to a Tired Man, directed by Masaki Kobayashi
Alone on the Pacific, directed by Kon Ichikawa
Tribute to Toru, improv by Watanabe and Yahiro
Jose Torres, directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara
Crazed Fruit/Juvenile Passions, directed by Koh Nakahira
Last Judgement, directed by Hiromichi Horikawa
Face of Another, directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara
Sharaku, directed by Masahiro Shinoda

Japanese guitarist Kazumi Watanabe comes to Orange County to introduce works by the late composer Toru Takemitsu. Having composed more than 100 film scores and 130 classical compositions, legendary Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu, renowned for his avant-garde work, is regarded as one of the most important composers in Japanese music history.

Though his exposure to Western classical music didn't begin until his mid-teenage years during World War II and he was virtually self-taught, Takemitsu's music combines a thorough knowledge of the European classical tradition with influences from Japanese culture.

Among his most famous classical compositions include Requiem for Strings (1957), Dorian Horizon (1966), and November Steps (1967), for shakuhachi, biwa, and Western symphony orchestra.

His film scores include Masaki Kobayashi's Hara Kiri (1962), Hiroshi Teshighara's Woman of the Dunes (1964), and Akira Kurosawa's Ran (1985). Contemporary Music Review declared him "the first Japanese composer fully recognized in the west."

Presenting sponsor: South Coast Plaza

Special Offer to Cultural News Readers:

20% off regular price when you use the promo code: GUITAR20

(Regular ticket prices are $30 and $40)

Order by Phone:

1) Call (949) 553-2422 (must mention promo code: GUITAR20)

Order Online:

1) Log onto www.PhilharmonicSociety.org and click on Calendar of Events

2) Select Tribute to Toru Takemitsu on the Calendar page

3) Must enter the promo code: GUITAR20 and click UPDATE before check out.

Valid only through the Philharmonic Society website box office. No discounts to prior purchases. Must use promotion code GUITAR20 when ordering.

For more information, call 949-553-2422 or visit www.PhilharmonicSociety.org