He came to Europe in 1976 and studied in Berlin and Freiburg.
Ever since, Toshio Hosokawa has maintained close ties with Germany – commissions for his new orchestral works have also come from Hamburg, Essen and Bamberg. Sakura from 2021, the most recent composition on Orchestral Works 4, is more than a fantasy about a Japanese folk song, but rather an orchestral sound painting of cherry blossom, a shimmering aural image – Japanese impressionism. You can sense Eastern aesthetic behind Hosokawa’s grandiose musical works. There are contrasts between light and shadow, as if you were walking through a landscape. There are glissandi, sudden harshness, lots of percussion. The sounds move in streaks and swathes.
In the trumpet concerto Im Nebel (2013) – based on Hermann Hesse’s poem of the same name – the soloist wanders as a lone figure, an alienated person through a clouded, shrouded environment. The solo instrument in the violin concerto Genesis (2020), on the other hand, experiences a process of liberation, a process of discovery – like a child growing into the world. (Hosokawa dedicated the work to violinist Veronika Eberle, who became a mother in 2019). Hosokawa wrote the concluding 24-minute piece Uzu (2019) for Jun Märkl, the conductor of these recordings. It is inspired by the way the shō (the Japanese mouth organ) is played “breathing”. Hosokawa’s music reflects itself, it listens to its own sounds. Three of the four works are world premiere recordings.
Toshio Hosokawa – Orchestral Works 4
Label: Naxos
Format: CD