武满彻
作曲
Tōru Takemitsu’s music was characterised by the search for a fusion of Asian and Western aesthetics, particularly from the 1960s onwards. The composer wanted to find an internationally recognised modern musical language without rejecting the traditions of his Japanese homeland. In addition to works for the concert hall, Takemitsu also wrote music for more than 100 feature films and television productions, including Philip Kaufman’s Rising Sun and Akira Kurosawa’s samurai classic Ran.
Tōru Takemitsu was born in Tokyo in 1930 before his family moved to China. At the age of seven, he returned to Japan to attend school, where he was first introduced to traditional Japanese music by his aunt, who played the koto, a type of zither. However, according to the composer himself, it was only thanks to Josephine Baker’s hit song Parlez-moi de l’amour, which he heard in 1944 after being drafted into the army, that he finally discovered his love for music. After the war, Takemitsu listened mainly to jazz and music by Claude Debussy and Aaron Copland on the radio broadcasts of the American occupying forces. In 1947, while studying art philosophy under Yasuji Kiyose, he began to compose music on his own, developing an individual avant-garde style influenced by his interest in modern painting, literature, theatre and film. The film music composer Fumio Hayasaka became his mentor and introduced him to the director Akira Kurosawa. In December 1950, Takemitsu made his successful debut with his piano piece Lento in due movimenti with the artists’ group Shin sakkyokuha kyôkai. His Requiem for strings was his first major success – Igor Stravinsky, who became acquainted with the work during a stay in Japan, expressed his enthusiasm for it. Takemitsu gained widespread international recognition with November Steps for biwa, shakuhachi and orchestra, written to mark the 125th anniversary of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. This was followed by a steady series of commissions from renowned performers, orchestras and institutions, which led to Takemitsu becoming the first Japanese composer of international renown.
