This interesting disc from Touch brings together the
first of Japanese electronic reductionist Ikeda's ventures into
the more "conventional" world of music for strings. He makes sure
that we are aware that none of the sounds we are hearing are electronic
in origin and is generally to be congratulated on this foray into
a new medium. Listen to the second movement of the prototype of
Op. 1 (the version for string trio) and hear some beautiful if
incredibly sparse string sonorities at work. This is a million
miles from both the amorphous soundworld of Takemitsu and the
more populist side of Japanese classical music currently being
introduced to us by Naxos. The only similarity with Takemitsu
has to be in the relatively static nature of some but not all
of the pieces recorded here. This is often eerie but gripping
music. I would concur with other observers that the most obvious
comparison with any "mainstream" composer is Morton Feldman. That
said, I have been listening to a lot of Peter Sculthorpe recently
and there is also probably some common ground with his earlier
(more gamelan/Japanese) pieces. George Crumb is another possible
point of reference.
I didn't find a great deal to choose between
the two versions of Op. 1, with the expanded version for nine
strings obviously adding body to the sound. Because of the generally
quiet, slow and spare nature of the music, you notice the difference
less than if you played a typical string trio and then a typical
nonet and were asked to comment. Whatever, it is a powerfully
distilled debut. For those who like new music, but not of the
totally impenetrable variety, this could be for you. Op. 2 for
string quartet, a single fifteen minute movement, is cast in a
similar crepuscular vein. It swings between moments of quiet dissonance
and crystalline beauty. The Op. 3, also for string quartet, finds
Ikeda at his closest to a genuine tonality, even romanticism.
He starts off almost like Samuel Barber at a quarter speed before
drifting back into the more established pattern of nocturnal shadowplay.
A worthy debut in the medium and hopefully not
a one off. Ikeda clearly has something to say, musically speaking,
that doesn't lend itself to his previous purely electronic incarnation.
Not easy listening (more queasy(?) at times!) but very listenable
if you are prepared to concentrate. It wouldn't make much sense
as background music and might well be best heard on headphones
(blasphemy?)
Neil Horner
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Recorded at Art Zoyd Studio,
Maubeuge, 19th-21st March 2001 ¹, new National Theatre,
Tokyo, 14th-17th May 2002 ³, RTB Belgian Radio and
TV Studios, Mons, 13th December 2001 ². 
