Program Notes

This is a slightly revised edition of the piece that won the 13th Asahi Composition Award (selected as a set piece for the 2003 Japan Band Contest).

Excluding student works, this was my first wind band composition, submitted in 2002 during the FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Unfamiliar with contest rules at the time, I worried about exceeding the ~4-minute guideline. To avoid penalties, I slightly trimmed the draft and raised the tempo to keep it strictly under four minutes.

Although I could have restored the original score after selection, engraving delays and tight recording schedules prevented changes in time.

This revised edition restores two omitted measures (before rehearsal numbers [12] and [13]) and the original opening tempo, refines key orchestration, and simplifies dynamic markings. These changes significantly improve structural balance, particularly in the middle section. I highly recommend directors try this version for future performances.

Interestingly, the piece was first evaluated during the 2002 World Cup, and hearing a powerful performance of it again by the JASDF Central Band during another World Cup season felt like a fitting coincidence.

On December 19, 1910, Captain Yoshitoshi Tokugawa completed Japan’s first official powered flight, piloting a French Henri Farman biplane to an altitude of 70 meters over a distance of 3,000 meters. Drawing a parallel between this historic flight and musical growth, the composer hopes that performing this piece will inspire ensembles to soar to new artistic heights and uncover valuable discoveries that serve as a foundation for their future development.

Originally commissioned in 2009 by the Sanwa Kita Junior High School Band in Ibaraki, Japan, the work was revised in 2026 for the CAFUA Selection recording.

Composed in 2016 to commemorate the 60th anniversary and 50th annual concert of the Yuzawa High School Band in Akita, Japan. Written in response to a request for a march, the piece was designed as a ceremonial march featuring a short fanfare introduction.

Tatsumi Hijikata, a renowned modern dancer born in Akita, once wrote of "a beautiful blue sky." In Akita, a region known for having the shortest daylight hours in Japan, a clear blue sky holds a profound and striking beauty. Having visited the area frequently since childhood to see family, the composer fondly remembers its crisp air and vibrant blue skies.

This celebratory march symbolizes people soaring from Yuzawa toward a beautiful sky and a promising future. Its primary motif is built upon the pitch sequence E–G–A, derived from the Japanese musical pun "Mi-So-Ra" (meaning "beautiful sky").

This work was composed in March 2024 for "Wind Works"—a flexible chamber wind ensemble consisting of nine wind and percussion players—and was premiered in April 2024 at the Wind Works Concert Vol. 3 in Tokyo.

The piece captures the vivid imagery of summer: a deep blue sky stretching infinitely, towering white clouds, and cool, refreshing waters reflecting the sky. It reflects the emotional atmosphere and seasonal charm of a traditional summer, inspired by my own memories of growing up in Iwate Prefecture. In middle school, I poured my passion into playing the trumpet, and in high school, the euphonium, spending countless hours practicing for band competitions and annual concerts. The trumpet and euphonium solos in this piece serve as a warm homage to those formative years.

The work is playable by a minimum of nine musicians, excluding optional instruments. While five percussionists (including timpani) are ideal, the piece is designed to be accessible for ensembles with limited instrumentation, allowing the entire percussion section to be performed by a single player using the Percussion (Alternative) part.

Commissioned in 2024 by the Mito Girls' High School Band, this piece was inspired by the theme of "Flight" given by their director, Nobuhiko Kawamura.

To reflect this theme, the composer drew inspiration from a clever Japanese riddle ("What is above the sky?"), where the answer plays on musical Solfège notes ("Sol-La" leads up to "Ti-Do"). Taking this idea further, the main theme jumps straight from "Sol-La" up to "Mi," creating a soaring "Sol-La-Mi" motif. In German pitch notation, "Mi" is represented by "E," making the sequence "Sol-La-E"—a musical play on words matching the Japanese title, "To the Sky" (Sora e).

When played, this energetic motif evokes a powerful sense of leaping upward into the air. Following the composer's previous work, "Reincarnation," ensembles are encouraged to freely express the music's natural ebb and flow, expressive dynamics, and harmonic nuances.

Composed by British composer Malcolm Arnold, this piece was originally written as the score for the 1952 British film "The Sound Barrier." The film centers on a former pilot turned airline executive determined to break the sound barrier with a new supersonic aircraft, depicting the high-stakes courage of the pilots and the human drama of those supporting them.

Malcolm Arnold studied trumpet at the Royal College of Music in London and enjoyed a successful career as a professional trumpeter with ensembles including the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Turning to composition in his 30s, he built a reputation for accessible, engaging music. His major works include the ballet "Homage to the Queen," the film score for "The Bridge on the River Kwai," the "Tam O'Shanter" Overture, "Scottish Dances," and his celebrated Brass Quintet, a cornerstone of the brass repertoire.

The work follows a three-part Slow–Fast–Slow structure, highlighting virtuosic wind passages that vividly recall cinematic imagery. The orchestration skillfully brings out the distinct colors of each instrument: majestic horns creating a sense of epic scale, ascending woodwind runs depicting a soaring jet, and triumphant trumpet fanfares delivering brilliant energy.

This wind band arrangement was created in 1997 for the Kawaguchi Ensemble Liberte Wind Orchestra and was featured at Japan's national band competition that same year.

"Toki is dancing in the Sora" was composed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of "Kyo-En" (the 21st Century Wind Music Exhibition). Inspired by a journey through central Japan and the Northern Alps—from Nagoya to Hakuba, the Sea of Japan, and Mount Tateyama—the work was crafted as a celebratory piece. To honor the milestone, the composer intentionally maintained an orthodox, accessible musical framework rather than relying on overly avant-garde techniques.

Reflecting Kyo-En’s mission to push the boundaries of wind literature, the premiere incorporated live computer audio modulation. However, post-premiere performances are designed for standard, unamplified wind band.

Throughout the work, various textures represent a flock of diverse birds calling together, merging individual timbres into expansive sound clusters. Layered over these intense textures is a spacious, lyrical motif that evokes vast time and open space. This effect is further enhanced by a contrasting soprano saxophone solo with improvised elements set against full ensemble (tutti) passages.

Drawing from personal experience as a multi-instrumentalist in youth, the composer acknowledged during the writing process that the piece would present a formidable technical and musical challenge for ensembles. Nevertheless, the work thrives on high-energy, high-stakes live performance. Ensembles and directors alike are invited to embrace this intense, thrilling musical journey.

This piece was composed to celebrate the 70th birthday of Hiroshi Kasai, Chairman of CAFUA Records. Comprising three movements, the work extensively incorporates musical elements revolving around the numbers 70 and 7 to honor this milestone—including seventh intervals, a tempo of quarter note = 70, seven-note phrases, seven percussive impacts, and seven-beat meters. The composer also utilizes cyclic form, sharing core themes and motifs across the movements.

In the second movement, the composer spells out Mr. Kasai's name using musical cryptography, mapping the letters of his name to specific pitches to form melodic lines. Additionally, the climax of this movement quotes a section from the composer's acclaimed "Symphonic Selection from GR," a landmark release during the early years of CAFUA Records.