Junichi Hirokami / Kyoto Symphony Orchestra

A great Japanese orchestra for a program that ranges from European tradition with Ludwig van Beethoven and Richard Strauss to oriental sonorities of Tōru Takemitsu with its November Steps, a composition commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for its 125th anniversary, which combines traditional Japanese instruments with a Western orchestra.

Program

Tōru Takemitsu

November Steps (ノヴェンバー・ステップス, Novenbā Suteppusu), composition for shakuhachi, biwa and western orchestra

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Concerto n. 4 in G major, op. 58

Interval

Richard Strauss
Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, symphonic poem for orchestra op. 28

Richard Strauss
Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, op. 59

 

Artists

Conductor
Junichi Hirokami

Kyoto Symphony Orchestra

Piano
Andrea Lucchesini

KYOTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The Kyoto Symphony Orchestra (KSO), founded in 1956, is Japan’s only municipally run professional orchestra and has been growing as one of the major orchestras in Japan with its aim of promoting cultural development, sound growth of young people’s sentiments and resident welfare in Kyoto. In celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2006, the Orchestra successfully performed Schönberg’s “Gurre-Lieder” first in Kyoto and toured seven domestic cities. The KSO is energetic in activities like coaching for the Kyoto Junior Orchestra, instrument training workshop, concerts for young people, and concerts at welfare facilities. In 2007 it won the special contribution award of the “25th Kyoto Prefectural Culture Awards” and the “Kyoto Creators Award”. In April 2008, it invited Junichi Hirokami as the 12th Chief Conductor and Naoto Otomo as Conductor Laureate. In April 2014, Junichi Hirokami became the 12th Chief Conductor & Music Advisor, and the KSO invited Ken Takaseki as Principal Guest Conductor and Tatsuya Shimono as Guest Conductor. In the half-century since its foundation, the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra is advancing to be a world-class orchestra befitting Kyoto, an arts and culture city.

 

Junichi Hirokami

He was born in Tokyo in 1958, where he studied conducting, piano, viola and musicology. At twenty-six he won the Kondrashin International Conducting Competition in Amsterdam, beginning his conducting career. He held the position of Principal Conductor of the Swedish Norrköping Symphony Orchestra from 1988 to 1995, then of the Limburg Symphony Orchestra (1998-2000), and from 1997 to 2000 was Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. From 2006 to 2008 he was appointed Music Director of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and since April 2008 he is the Principal Conductor of the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra.

 

ANDREA LUCCHESINI

Born in the province of Pistoia in 1965, he studied with the pianist Maria Tipo. After winning the International Competition for Young Pianists Dino Ciani - Teatro alla Scala in 1983, he performed with conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Semyon Bychkov, Riccardo Chailly, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Daniele Gatti, Daniel Harding, Roberto Abbado and Gianandrea Noseda. He is the first and only Italian artist to receive the International Prize Accademia Chigiana and in 1995 he won the Premio Abbiati. He has recorded with EMI, Teldec and Agora, Stradivarius. In 2008 he was appointed Artistic Director of the School of Music of Fiesole and the Academy of Santa Cecilia.