TOKYO BLUES
Year of composition: 2017
[Texts by Murakami Haruki from his novel 'Norwegian Wood' - 1987]
Dedicated to Sugiyama Takanori & Umehara Mayuko.
Length: 9 minutes
Scored for: soprano and piano with digital extensions
Opus 20 - AA202017
Please note:
Full set and study scores are purchased, fulfilled in hard copy, and yours to keep. Full sets are licensed per two years of performance, and it can be renewed with an additional cost of 50€. Additional parts are delivered in PDF, and the fixed electronics (when necessary) is free downloaded through a QR code printed on the full score.
For more information or request additional parts, please, contact us through: sales@aalcaldemusic.com.
Full set
Price:
60.00€
Brief notes:
Tokyo blues is scored for soprano and piano with digital extensions, spanning 9 minutes of length. Title is a semantic parallel between the novel by Murakami Haruki, ‘Norwegian wood’ (1987), and the homonymous song by Beatles (1965). The "blues" referred to in the title is not simply a matter of mood, but also an integral part of the structure itself. It approaches the blues as a reminiscence of Ella Fitzgerald's vocal style, in what could be called a kind of jazz ballad "décollage." The piece is cast in a binary system, with the whole thematic material encapsulated in the first nine measures. The first idea is introduced immediately by the low register of the piano, which is rather seductive and somewhat cynical, and is developed starting from a polytonal system. The second idea is an atomization of the popular song "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" by The Beatles, from their 1965 album "Rubber Soul." These materials are kept in a constant volatile state during the consequent development.
The depicted scene, with high sexual content, transports us to a conversation between Midori and Tōru (who is a "null-subject," so that Midori is talking directly to us, thus breaking the "fourth wall"), during one of their escapades to the jazz bar DUG. Midori talks openly about her sexual intentions with Tōru while seeking a new beginning in her life.
Tokyo blues, escrita para soprano y piano con extensiones digitales que abarca los 9 minutos de duración. El título es un paralelismo semántico entre la novela de Murakami Haruki, "Norwegian wood" (‘Tokio blues” en su traducción al castellano) de 1987; y la canción homónima de los Beatles, lanzada en 1965. El "blues" referido en el título no es simplemente una cuestión de "estado anímico", sino también una parte integral de la propia estructura, planteándola como una reminiscencia del estilo vocal de Ella Fitzgerald, en lo que podría denominarse una especie de "décollage" sobre una balada de jazz. La composición se configura en un sistema binario, con todo el material temático encapsulado en los primeros nueve compases. La primera idea es introducida inmediatamente por el registro grave del piano, bastante seductora, incluso algo cínica, desarrollada partiendo de un sistema politonal. La segunda idea es una atomización de la canción anteriormente mencionada, "Norwegian wood (This bird has flown)" (Madera noruega, este pájaro ha volado) de Los Beatles, lanzada en su álbum de 1965 "Rubber Soul" (Alma de goma). Estos materiales se mantienen en un estado volátil constante durante el consiguiente desarrollo.
La escena representada, de alto contenido sexual, nos transporta a una conversación entre Midori y Tōru (que es un "sujeto elíptico" en el diálogo, de modo que Midori nos habla directamente a nosotros, rompiendo así la "cuarta pared"), en una de sus escapadas al bar de jazz DUG. Midori habla abiertamente de sus intenciones sexuales con Tōru mientras busca un nuevo comienzo en su vida.