2018.03.19

Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa THE 401ST SUBSCRIPTION CONCERT

SAT 17 MARCH 2018, 2 P.M.
ISHIKAWA ONGAKUDO Concert Hall

Michiyoshi Inoue Conductor
Kyohei Sorita Piano

Francis Poulenc Aubade, a Choreographic Concerto for Piano and 18 Instruments, FP 51a
Joseph Haydn Symphony No. 6 in D major, Hob. I-6 "Morning"
Joseph Haydn Symphony No. 7 in C major, Hob. I-7 "Noon"
Joseph Haydn Symphony No. 8 in G major, Hob. I-8 "Evening"

SS¥6,000- S¥5,000- A¥4,000- B¥3,000- Starlight¥1,000-
INQUIRY Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa TEL076-232-0171

【Message】

I’ll write another time the “whole story” about my eleven years with the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa (OEK) …… otherwise this would be a much longer text.

The program with Haydn’s “Morning”, “Noon” and “Evening” symphonies was, in a manner of speaking, created in the course of nature. Plus, formerly a ballet dancer, I myself decided to close my eleven-year-tenure as the Music Director of the OEK with this rare ballet concerto “Aubade” (meaning “dawn serenade” in French) by Poulenc in collaboration with the pianist Kyohei Sorita.
This lineup is also the result of the discussion with Mr. Tokobo from the OEK, who is a programming genius.
Mr. Sorita, twenty-three-year-old pianist, gave me the impression that he will definitely start conducting orchestras someday (if he takes care of his health more and stops smoking…)
Twenty-two years ago, I conducted for the first time this “Morning”, “Noon” and “Evening” symphonies program. The concert master of that performance has passed away long, long ago. But this memory has always stayed in my mind as a very impressive experience.
I'm confident that this farewell concert (as the Music Director) became a memorable event for both orchestra and audience members, because I won a bet. I mean, the audience gave their confidence enough to listen to such an unknown piece by Poulenc.
I’m satisfied to be able to show concretely by myself how classical concerts should be.
I’m much obliged to Prince Esterházy (for ordering Haydn these symphonies) and Viscount Noailles (for whom Poulenc composed “Aubade”), of course, but also to the orchestra who realized my idea and to Mr. Kiyoshi Otsubo (President & CEO of the “Rengo”), who kindly sponsored our concert in Tokyo.
During my tenure, I ensured some reforms of the OEK in collaboration with the concert mistress Abigail Young. Needless to say, I should have had to promote more reforms proactively in consideration of foresighted development of the OEK. But the orchestra fell into its own trap because of, so to speak, its outdated and conservative mutual agreement inside the institution. This could be compared to a scorge of the past.
If everything was reset to zero, both the prefecture and the city supported only the orchestra’s labor costs and they left all the artistic, promotional and educational projects to the Music Director’s discretion, that would be wonderful. However, Kanazawa is a small city with a population of 450,000. After all, I myself hadn’t had sufficient time, energy or mental prowess to do all of them for the city. And if so, I would have died in 2014 when I got heavily sick.
In any case, it seems everything is based on the premise that people are obliged to emphasize “the OEK is for all citizens who pay taxes, the Ishikawa Ongakudo Hall, too”.
I already discovered fifty years ago that music is truer and stronger than religions.
Though, my teacher Hideo Saito used to say fifty years ago, “What I have to do is to make incompetent students musicians who can earn their living. Competent students develop their faculties even if we leave them alone.” Alas, I can’t do that!
Since the opening of the new section of the Hokuriku-Shinkansen line, a large number of tourists have come to Kanazawa to visit the Kenrokuen Garden, the Kanazawa Castle, the Higashi Geisha District and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, and to enjoy eating sushi (especially the rosy seabass’ one) and even the Hanton Rice. Alas, they pass by the Ishikawa Ongakudo Hall without stopping there.
We displayed a huge eye-catching poster with a buzzword “What are you about, Ongaku-DO?” in front of the station, and got between 50,000 and 80,000 people during every Golden Week (national holidays at the beginning of May) for “La Folle Journee”, classical music festival focusing on a theme every year with many discoveries (that I enjoyed). However, in everyday life, Chinese people (for example) never came in flocks to the Ishikawa Ongakudo Hall during their sightseeing in the city. Except the period of “La Folle Journee”, local people had never scrambled the OEK’s subscription concerts’ tickets to fill up the seats.
Regarding that, I guess Gustav Maher was right:
“I’m convinced that, in a hundred years (no, in twenty years), everyone will understand my music.”
And in twenty years from now on, the Kanazawa city of the time when I had a calm time will have been changed. Thanks to my satisfying days when I headed to rehearsals walking alongside of the canal in the morning!