DUO PROJECT
What is DUO PROJECT?
Music Dialogue has been working to develop young musicians through chamber music in collaboration with top performers both in Japan and abroad. In 2021, with an eye on the next decade, they launched a new project with Hakuju Hall to explore the "Duo," the smallest unit of an ensemble.
How will the young duo artists discover the equal "dialogue" between the two instruments that emerges from deciphering the score? How will Music Dialogue Artistic Director and viola player Heiichiro Oyama, as well as pianist Haruko Ueda and violinist Kyoko Takezawa, two accomplished performers with world-class musical experience, accompany them on their journey?
We hope you will thoroughly enjoy the profound depth of this duet, which is full of suggestions that will help you appreciate the music on a deeper level, including an open rehearsal where you can witness changes in the interpretation.
What is “Duo”?
This word, which means the number two in Latin, is used to express "duo." It is a chamber music arrangement with the minimum number of people, which is the foundation of chamber music.
In 8, Music Dialogue will be celebrating its eighth year since its founding, focusing on duet sonatas in sonata form, the type of music for which the most fulfilling music has been written for this arrangement, and will be launching the “Duo Project” to explore this musical world.
For example, the violin sonata.
In the scores of many composers, such as Beethoven, Brahms, Franck, and Prokofiev, duet sonatas are generally titled "Sonata for Piano and Violin" or "Sonata for Violin and Piano." In fact, the importance that the composers attached to the piano is equal to that of the other instrument, which is its duo partner.
While gaining experience playing chamber music with top players, including music director Rudolf Serkin, at the Marlboro Music Festival, Heiichiro Oyama, artistic director of Music Dialogue, came to believe that in performance, it is important to have a proper understanding of the composer and the piece before the performer's self-expression. Oyama also participates in chamber music performances as a viola player at Music Dialogue, and has shared this idea with young performers.
In the Duo Project, which delves into the very foundations of chamber music, Oyama returns to the original form of the duet, and enlists the cooperation of pianist Haruko Ueda and violinist Kyoko Takezawa, who are other musicians who can provide appropriate guidance while performing with the performers. By having these exceptional players, known for their achievements in chamber music, perform with young performers, just like Oyama, Music Dialogue has been able to continue its journey of exploration in duets that do not include the viola.
One instrument and one instrument, one performer and one performer.
To what extent will these young, outstanding performers be able to develop new abilities as they engage in intensive, equal dialogue with Oyama, Ueda, Takezawa, and others? This new project will explore and open up new possibilities while continuing to engage in dialogue with the audience who will be listening and watching attentively on-site.
