Special Rehearsal

On November 18, as part of TDK’s social contribution program, 200 music students randomly selected from among those who responded to a public invitation attended an Special Rehearsal. Before the rehearsal, concert sommelier Satoshi Asaoka was invited to a “preparatory lecture,” where he talked about the musical compositions and rehearsal highlights. At the Special Rehearsal that followed, the students sat entranced as the orchestra wove music of uncompromising precision under music director and conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada.

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Comments by Audience

• This was my first chance to listen to a professional orchestra rehearsal, so I learned a great deal, the different roles in the orchestra and how a performance is put together, how the hall’s acoustics work, and other things. I hope our group learns from this experience and puts it to use.(Female university student)
• I learned from seeing the wordless communication between the conductor and performers while they were playing.(Female university student)
• I have just started to study conducting, so seeing this rehearsal was tremendously helpful. I think the conducting was very easy for the players to follow and enabled them to play with more feeling. For a student, attending a rehearsal ahead of a live performance without having to pay is a blessing.(Female university student)
• We always see nothing but the complete full performance, so being able to see the orchestra members as they freely played their instruments, the commemorative photo, and so on was refreshing. Also, I am a piano major, so it was tremendously educational to actually see how an orchestral composition is brought to completion.(Female university student)
• I liked being able to listen to what the conductor said about performance details. It reminded me that to be a professional we need to listen to ourselves, know what is needed and required, and react instantly. It was wonderful.(Female graduate student)
• The roots of the radio orchestra isn’t something we usually think about or research, so getting a detailed explanation was very interesting. I would like to compare the sound of different orchestras based on their roots. (Female university student)

Profile of Preparatory Lecture Speaker

Satoshi Asaoka 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.

Outreach Mini-Concert

TDK has held the Outreach Mini-Concert every year since 2003 as a way to provide opportunities for young people to experience world-class music. This year marks TDK’s 80th year, and to carry on the commemorative events held for our 70th and 75th year celebrations, TDK held a mini-concert in Nikaho City in Akita Prefecture, where the company was founded. On November 12 (Th), a woodwind quintet made up of members of Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra visited Nikaho Junior High School, a Nikaho City public school. Some 600 junior high school students from three schools in the city gathered in the school’s gymnasium in an atmosphere with all the solemnity of a real concert to hear the start of the performance. The students listened to the graceful tone colors of the quintet as they performed Three Short Pieces for Woodwind Quintet by Jacques Ibert and other pieces. During the artist question time, the players carefully answered the student’s many questions: “Why does a woodwind quintet have a French horn, a brass instrument?” “How long can you play an instrument before replacing it?” “How do you get good at playing?” and so on. For the final joint performance, the Nikaho Junior High School wind ensemble and the woodwind quintet performed together, while all the students sang the Akita prefectural anthem from “Great Akita” (ooinaru akita). Their clear voices brought praise even from the artists. The students, too, seemed to find it a precious experience.

Performers: Frankfurt Radio Symphony Woodwind Quintet
Instruments: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn

Main Performance