A concert marking the culmination of the second season of the "DUO PROJECT," which began in 2021 with the aim of exploring the duo, the smallest unit of an ensemble, was held at Hakuju Hall on November 2th.
Continuing from last year, the three world-renowned artistic directors, Oyama Heiichiro (viola), Takezawa Kyoko (violin), and Ueda Haruko (piano), have been coaching Mizukoshi Nao (violin) and Shirase Gen (piano), who were selected in the audition held on March 3, 2023.
This concert was a time when veteran musicians, who were enthusiastic to teach the younger generation about creating music, and young performers, who boldly accepted their teachings, thought about them and absorbed them for themselves, engaged in a dialogue through music and words, and shared it with the audience.
Before the performance began, Oyama explained the intention behind the entries in the program booklet. When one hears "violin sonata," one generally imagines the violin as the main player with the piano as accompaniment. However, the scores for these three pieces are marked "sonatas for piano and violin." For this reason, the pianist was listed first in the program. This dispels the preconceptions that many people have about duet sonatas, and the program also reveals a search for an equal relationship between the two players.
Continuing from last year, the first two pieces were performed by veteran and young performers. The first piece, Ravel's Sonata in G major for piano and violin, was a duet by Ueda and Mizukoshi. Ueda, who has performed this piece many times, changed the flow of the music with each note he played, like an omniscient and omnipotent god, and Mizukoshi responded by displaying his virtuosity with delicacy, boldness, and speed in each movement.
The second piece was a duet of Shirase and Takezawa, Brahms' Sonata No. 2 for Piano and Violin. At the beginning, Shirase's robust piano was a little surprising, but when it was combined with Takezawa's flowing violin that shook the entire venue, it was clear that this was the way of a duo between these two. After the performance, Takezawa reflected on the performance, saying that he played with the intention of sending love to Shirase, and that Shirase had returned his love. It was truly a performance that evoked the passion and brilliance that only these two could have.
The main piece was Saint-Saëns' First Sonata, performed by two young musicians. The unison phrasing and dynamic changes in the first movement, as well as the technique and tempo changes throughout the entire movement, were superb. The results of the six-month program were fully displayed, and the future success of the two musicians came to mind.
After the concert, there was a customary dialogue time, during which the audience shared their questions and impressions with the performers. When asked what their biggest growth and difficulties were, Shirase said, "I knew it was important, but my body was so stiff that I couldn't move the way I wanted to, but now I can do it." Mizukoshi also said that he was impressed by the words that Oyama told him in the first coaching session, "When you cook, do you go shopping without deciding what to make?" and that this helped him to think more deeply about what kind of sound to make and what technique to use when making sounds.
The coaches talked about what it means to teach others. Oyama said he was happy to hear the young people's performance, seeing them cast aside their preconceptions and accepting new teachings. Takezawa said he hoped they would "remember every detail" of their experiences in this project as they go about their future lives as musicians. Ueda also said he wanted to open new doors for the young people, and that he was able to do so successfully this time. The atmosphere was filled with a warmth, with both young and veteran people influencing each other in a positive way.
With the second season of DUO PROJECT coming to a close, 2 will mark the 2024th anniversary of Music Dialogue. Oyama says that next year will be a pretty epic year. He looks forward to the 10th anniversary project, which will mark a turning point for the organization, which allows audiences to experience the music-making process and provides an environment for young performers to grow, and will lead to the next 10 years.
Misa Yamashita (Music writer/MD Writing Internship Project graduate)
