From me flows what you call Time

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This article is about the piece by Tōru Takemitsu. For the novella by David Mitchell, see From Me Flows What You Call Time (novella).
From me flows what you call Time
by Tōru Takemitsu
Composed1990
Durationc. 31 minutes[1]
Scoringfive percussionists and orchestra
Premiere
DateOctober 19, 1990 (1990-10-19)
LocationCarnegie Hall, New York City
ConductorSeiji Ozawa
PerformersNexus and the Boston Symphony Orchestra

From me flows what you call Time is a 1990 concerto for five percussionists and orchestra by the Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu. It is considered one of the best of Takemitsu's late works.[2]

Conception[edit]

From me flows what you call Time was commissioned by the Carnegie Hall Foundation to celebrate Carnegie Hall's centennial season, and was premiered on October 19, 1990 by Nexus and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Seiji Ozawa.[3] The title is taken from the poem "Clear Blue Water" by Makoto Ōoka, a Japanese poet and a friend of Takemitsu's.[4]

Composition[edit]

Takemitsu intended the work to represent the music that had "flowed" through Carnegie Hall throughout its hundred-year history.[4] As in many of Takemitsu's works, a blend of European and Japanese traditions creates a unique idiom.[2][4]

The piece includes several improvised sections, an element inspired by John Cage's indeterminacy.[5] In the score, Takemitsu noted that "the performance should give the impression of being completely improvised."[2]

After a brief flute solo at the piece's opening, the five solo percussionists enter the hall. Each is wearing a pocket square of a different color, each meant to represent one of the natural phenomena (blue for water, red for fire, yellow for earth, green for wind, and white for sky). These colors are meant to represent the Tibetan Buddhist principle of Wind Horse. In the same colors are long ribbons, linking the stage to bells and chimes hung from the hall's ceiling.[2][4] Later in the piece, the ribbons are used by the players to ring these bells.[6]

Structure[edit]

The piece is separated into thirteen sections:[3]

  1. Introduction
  2. Entrance of the Soloists
  3. A Breath of Air
  4. Premonition
  5. Plateau
  6. Curved Horizon
  7. The Wind Blows
  8. Premonition
  9. Mirage
  10. Waving Wind Horse
  11. The Promised Land
  12. Life's Joys and Sorrows
  13. A Prayer

Instrumentation[edit]

The piece is scored for the following orchestra:[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "From me flows what you call Time". englisch. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  2. ^ a b c d Tarnow, Volker. "Yutaka Sado Conducts Shostakovitch and Takemitsu". Digital Concert Hall. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  3. ^ a b c Takemitsu, Toru. "From me flows what you call Time". Schott. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  4. ^ a b c d "From Me Flows What You Call Time (Toru Takemitsu)". LA Phil. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  5. ^ Service, Tom (2013-02-11). "A guide to Toru Takemitsu's music". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  6. ^ Higgins, Jim. "John Williams will help Milwaukee Symphony open its new concert hall next season". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
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