Translucent Vision (1982)
| Japanese | 半透明の幻影 |
|---|---|
| German | Translucent Vision |
| Opus | 049 |
| Year | 1982 |
| Category | Orchestra/Concerto |
| Duration | 15 min. 30 sec. |
| Instruments | orch |
| Ongaku no Tomo Music Publisher | |
|---|---|
| Address | Shinjuku-ku Kagurazaka 6-30 J-162-8716 Tokyo Japan |
| Phone | (publishing section): +81 (0)3-3235-2145 |
| Web | http://www.ongakunotomo.co.jp/ |
About this Work
Maki Ishii, 1990 (trans. Christopher Drake). Source: CD "Works by Maki Ishii I", Fontec FOCD3110
The "translucent" in the title indicates the translucent sound, as if one were looking through a gauze curtain, created when harmonized sounds are covered or veiled with other (discordant) sounds.
Generally speaking, when harmonized and discordant sounds are put together into a whole the result is dissonance. Yet I would like to suggest that when you are dealing with a body of composite sound such as an orchestra, it is possible to achieve a unique "intermediate sound" if you distribute both in unequal amounts. This fact also symbolizes the content of this piece from the standpoint of its composition. Fragments of infinite melodies circulate between complex, indeterminate rhythms and simple, metronomic rhythms and patterns, or between leaping melodies and regular intervals, crossing and mingling with each other, making possible the appearance of a transparent vision both rhythmically and melodically.
This piece was commissioned by the Eighth Min'on Festival of Contemporary Music and composed in 1981 and 1982. It was first performed by the Tōkyō Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra conducted by Shigenobu Yamaoka on May 22, 1982.