Following the experience of having one of the world's premier concert orchestras rehearse right before their eyes, the students responded to a questionnaire survey. Their replies included comments about how the open rehearsal was highly stimulating and educational, and otherwise reflecting deep satisfaction with the unique opportunity to witness such a session.
- “I was very impressed by the way the orchestra members seemed to be sincerely enjoying the music. I am studying music, so it was a really good experience for me to come into contact with good sounds in this way while I am still a student.” (University student, female)
- “I learned a lot not only from the sounds but also from the manner of approaching each phase. Although it only lasted for an hour, I was delighted to be able to see and hear a rehearsal. It was an unforgettable experience.” (University student, male)
- “The sounds penetrated me in a very pleasing way. The range of expression was very wide, like the modulating tones, the tightness and softness of the sounds, and the manner of rendition. I learned a lot.” (University student, female)
- “I was very impressed by the reverberation of the sounds. In particular, the opening of the Bruckner piece, the strings-only part, drew me in immediately. I was also able to see the natural side of the performers too, including their clothing, which they definitely do not show in actual concerts. It was a really valuable experience. I’m so happy.” (University student, female)
- “It was very good to be able to hear the Berlin Philharmonic live for the first time, and it will be useful for my future music career. I learned a lot about timbre, modulation, phrase rendition, and so on. The string instruments, which seemed to produce rolling sounds, were truly wonderful.” (Vocational school student, male)
- “Although it was only a glimpse of the world’s top performers, I was really pleased to be able to hear them. It was a wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime experience that is sure to nourish my own music career in the future.” (University student, male)
(C)Sebastian Haenel / Berliner Philharmoniker
The Berlin Philharmonic was founded on May 1, 1882. Hans von Bülow, Arthur Nikisch, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Herbert von Karajan, and Claudio Abbado have served as its principal conductors in the past. The present principal conductor and artistic director, Sir Simon Rattle, was appointed in the autumn of 2002. Based at the Berliner Philharmonie, a modern concert hall in Berlin completed in 1963, the orchestra has branched out into opera as well, taking part, among other events, in the Salzburg Easter Music Festival since 1967. The Berlin Philharmonic also implements various educational programs, including the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Academy, which trains talented young performers. Sir Simon Rattle has been acclaimed for his appearances with the orchestra in Japan first in the autumn of 2004 and subsequently in 2005, 2008, and 2011. This is the Berlin Philharmonic’s twentieth visit to Japan.
(C)Simon Fowler / Berliner Philharmoniker
Born in Liverpool, England, Sir Simon Rattle studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. From 1980 until 1998 he served as the principal conductor and artistic advisor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He has also conducted other leading orchestras in Europe and the United States, including the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Philadelphia Orchestra, always to wide acclaim. He was appointed to his present post as principal conductor and artistic director of the Berlin Philharmonic in September 2002. He has released more than 70 recordings as an EMI artist, many of which have received illustrious awards. His latest recording, with the Berlin Philharmonic, features Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. He also contributes to various artistic activities, creating the Zukunft@Bphil (“Future@Bphil”) artistic and educational program in 2009. In recognition of these activities, he received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany from the German government. Sir Simon also received the French Legion of Honor award in 2010 and, together with the Berlin Philharmonic, has been named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, becoming the first artistic institution to take on this role.
(C)Nakajima Masayuki
Daishin Kashimoto has won five prestigious international competitions, including the International Fritz Kreisler Violin Competition and the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud International Competition for Piano and Violin in 1996. He has performed jointly with numerous orchestras under such famous conductors as Lorin Maazel, Seiji Ozawa, and Mariss Jansons. In the field of chamber music, he has performed with the likes of Myung-Whun Chung, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, and Emmanuel Pahud, and in 2007 he launched the Le Pont International Chamber Music Festival in the Japanese cities of Ako and Himeji. He was appointed as the first concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic in 2010, a post which he has continued alongside his solo activities. He uses a 1674 Andrea Guarneri violin.
Satoshi Asaoka was born in Yokohama. After graduating from Keio University, he joined TV Asahi as an announcer, where he built his career in sports announcing and worked on "News Station" and other programs. Since he turned freelance in 1995, Asaoka has been widening his activity into the fields of classical music as a "concert sommelier" engaged in the planning and compering of concerts, while appearing in many TV and radio programs and commercials. Asaoka, known for his unique reviews of early music and operas in particular, is working as an active advocate of classical music in wide-ranging areas.
For this plan, four string members of the visiting Berlin Philharmonic traveled to the Tohoku region of northeast Japan in support of efforts by the local people to rebuild from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of March 2011. The group visited Matsushima Town in Miyagi Prefecture, known for its sister community ties with Nikaho City in Akita Prefecture (location of the Kisakata district where TDK got its beginnings), where they put on a mini-concert. This undertaking was the brainchild of TDK, and realized through the full cooperation of the orchestra and the communities of both Matsushima and Nikaho.
The Berlin Philharmonic members began with a tour of areas in Higashi-Matsushima City (which contains Matsushima Town) stricken by the massive earthquake and tsunami. They then moved to the concert hall for a performance ofThe Hunt?a string quartet piece composed by Mozart.
After that, a group of 30 students visiting from Kisakata Junior High School in Akita performed "Flowers will Bloom" (a combination wind instrument and choral number)?a now well-known song composed to support and inspire efforts to rebuild from the epic disaster. This was followed by a rendition ofPassionate Continent, a rousing number famous from a Japanese TV program of the same name, by the local Matsushima High School Wind Orchestra. Performed to also help express gratitude to the members of the Berlin Philharmonic for making the long journey up north, this number added to the heartwarming atmosphere of the mini-concert attended by around 400 residents of Matsushima Town.
TDK, rooted in its philosophy to excel as a corporate entity devoted to the needs of the communities where it does business, will continue to champion this type of "music-based social contribution program" over the years to come as well.
Incidentally, this year's concert also achieved key media attention?on the Fuji Television Network Super News program aired on November 19 (an 18-channel nationwide network), as well as extensive coverage on the BS FUJI broadcasting satellite channel on December 15. In these and other ways, this year's outreach program paved the way to introductions of a key phase of TDK social contribution activities.
| Name | TDK Orchestra Concert 2013 Berlin Philharmonic Japan Performance Conducted by Sir Simon Rattle |
|---|---|
| Invitation, production | Fuji Television Network, Inc. |
| Special support | TDK Corporation |
| Performer | Berlin Philharmonic |
| Conductor | Sir Simon Rattle |
| Date & Program |
Thu, Nov 14, 2013 6:45 p.m.
Schumann : Symphony No. 1 in B-flat major Op.38 "Spring" Prokofiev : Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major Op.19 (Solo Violin : Daishin Kashimoto) Stravinsky : The rite of spring Fri, Nov 15, 2013 7:00 p.m. Schumann : Symphony No. 1 in B-flat major Op.38 "Spring" (Solo Violin : Daishin Kashimoto) Prokofiev : Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major Op.19 Stravinsky : The rite of spring Sat, Nov 16, 2013 2:00 p.m. Boulez : Notations Bruckner : Symphony No. 7 in major WAB.107 Mon, Nov 18, 2013 7:00 p.m. Schumann : Symphony No. 1 in B-flat major Op.38 "Spring" Prokofiev : Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major Op.19 (Solo Violin : Daishin Kashimoto) Stravinsky : The rite of spring Tue, Nov 19, 2013 7:00 p.m. Boulez : Notations Bruckner : Symphony No. 7 in major WAB.107 Wed, Nov 20, 2013 7:00 p.m. Schumann : Symphony No. 1 in B-flat major Op.38 "Spring" Prokofiev : Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major Op.19 (Solo Violin : Daishin Kashimoto) Stravinsky : The rite of spring |
