Hikaru Hayashi

Hikaru Hayashi ( Japanese 林 光 , Hayashi Hikaru ; born October 22, 1931 in Tokyo ; † January 5, 2012 ) was a Japanese composer , pianist , conductor and author .

Life

Hayashi studied composition at the Tokyo Music Academy , but did not finish his studies. Instead, he later studied privately with Hisatada Otaka and created many classical compositions, especially works for orchestra. He was best known for his choral suite Scenes from Hiroshima (1958–2001).

He extensively researched the possibilities of Japanese-language opera. Hayashi composed more than 30 operas . He was the artistic director and also resident composer of the Konnyakuza Opera Theater. In addition to symphonies, his work also includes chamber music and choral works, songs and more than 100 compositions for film. He often worked with the directors Nagisa Ōshima and Kaneto Shindō . Hayashi has composed the music for more than 90 films and has authored more than 20 books, including the book "Nihon opera no yume" ( 日本 オ ペ ラ の 夢 , The Dream of Japanese Opera ).

In 1958, he was celebrated in Beijing, Shanghai and other cities in China for his performances of the ballet "Haku Mo Jo" (The White-Haired Woman).

In September 2011, Hayashi suffered a severe traumatic brain injury , as a result of which he died on January 5, 2012 at the age of 80.

Hikaru Hayashi was a member of the Japanese Society for New Music . Together with Yoshio Mamiya and Yūzō Toyama he founded the group "Yagi No Kai".

Hayashi was the brother of the flautist Ririko Hayashi , for whom he also wrote some chamber music pieces.

Awards

• 1998: Suntory Music Award
• 1956: Otaka Prize for "Variations for Orchestra"
• 1960: Prize of the Moscow Film Festival for his film music for "Hadaka No Shima" ( 裸 の 島 , "The Naked Island")

Selected works

Opera

• "Gauche the Cellist" ( セ ロ 弾 き の ゴ ー シ ュ , Sero hajiki no gōshu ) (1986); based on the novel by Kenji Miyazawa
• "The Forest Is Alive" ( 森 は 生 き て い る , Mori wa ikite iru ) (1991), based on the novel by Samuil Marshak - this opera was extremely successful with two complete recordings and regular repeats
• "Metamorphosis" ( 変 身 セ ー ル ス マ ン K の 憂鬱 ) (1996); based on The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
• "I Am a Cat" ( 吾輩 は 猫 で あ る ) (1998); based on the novel by Sōseki Natsume
• Three Sisters ( 三人 姉妹 ) (2001); based on the play by Anton Chekhov
• "Revenge of the Dog" ( イ ヌ の 仇 討 ち あ る い は 吉 良 の 決断 ) (2002); based on the novel by Hisashi Inoue
• "Last Adventure of Don Quixote" ( 花 の ラ ・ マ ン チ ャ 騎士 道 あ る い は ド ド ン ・ キ ホ ー テ 最後 の 冒 険 ) (2004); based on the novel by Miguel de Cervantes
• "Romeo and Juliet" ( 瓦礫 の な か の ロ ミ オ ＆ ジ ュ リ エ ッ ト ) (2006); based on the play by William Shakespeare

Orchestral works

• Symphony in G (1953)
• Variations for orchestra (1955)
• Festive Overture ( 祝 典 序曲 ) (1976)
• Symphony No. 2 "Canciones" (1983)
• Fukinukeru Natsukaze no Matsuri ( 吹 き 抜 け る 夏 風 の 祭 ) (1985); recorded in 1988 DENON, The Contemporary Music of Japan, COCO-70960, Kyoto Symphony Orchestra , conductor: Koizumi Kazuhiro .
• Symphonic sketches ( シ ン フ ォ ニ ッ ク ・ ス ケ ッ チ ) (1988–1992)
• Symphony No. 3 "At Noon, the August Sun ..." (1990)

Concert works

• Guitar Concerto ( ギ タ ー 協奏曲 ＜ 北 の 帆船 ＞ )
• Viola Concerto "Elegia" ( 悲歌 ) for viola and string orchestra (1995)
• Xylophone Concerto ( 木琴 協奏曲 ＜ 夏 の 雲 は し る ＞ ) (2007)

Chamber music

• Rhapsody for violin and piano (1965)
• Sonata for flute and piano (1967)
• Winter on 72nd St. ( ７２ 丁目 の 冬 ) for violin and piano (1968)
• String quartet "Legende" ( レ ゲ ン デ ) (1989)
• Vines ( 蔓 枝 ) for solo violin (1999)
• Viola Sonata "Process" ( プ ロ セ ス ) for violin and piano (2002)

Works for piano

• Theme and Variations ( 主題 と 変 奏 ) (1946)
• Rondo in G major ( ロ ン ド ト 長 調 ) (1950)
• Dance Suite ( 舞 踏 組曲 ) for 2 pianos (1954)
• Sonata [No. 1] (1965)
• Sonatina (1966)
• The diary of Dr. Pamir ( パ ミ ー ル 博士 の 日記 ) for four-handed piano (1977)
• Bevat: Tuk-kui-gwa ( 徳 利 小 ) (1979)
• Blanqui ( ブ ラ ン キ ) for four-handed piano (1979)
• The Zoo ( 動物園 ) (1979)
• Attā-wanku-wantū ( あ っ た ー わ ん く わ と ぅ ー ) (1980)
• Garasa ( が ら さ ) (1980)
• Modottekita hizuke ( も ど っ て き た 日 付 ) (1980)
• Sangitsu ( さ ん ぎ つ ) (1980)
• Sonata No. 2 "About Trees" ( 木 々 に つ い て ) (1981)
• Tīchi dīru jinjin ( て ぃ ー ち で ぃ ー る ・ じ ん じ ん ) (1981)
• Mimichiri bōji ( 耳 打 り 坊 主 ) (1982)
• Warszawianka Variations ( ワ ル シ ャ ヴ ィ ア ン カ 変 奏 曲 ) (1982)
• 48 songs for piano ( ピ ア ノ の た め の ４８ の う た ) (1983)
• Harlequin ( ア ル レ ッ キ ー ノ ) for 2 pianos (1984)
• Shima-kodomo-uta II (Nursery Songs from Southern Islands II; 島 こ ど も 歌 ２ ) (1984)
• Tori-tachi no hachigatsu ( 鳥 た ち の 八月 ) for 2 pianos eight hands (1984)
• Chameleon ( カ メ レ オ ン ) for four-handed piano (1986)
• Tale ( も の が た り ) (1986)
• Jikoku wo nozoku Arurekkīno ( 地獄 を 覗 く ア ル レ ッ キ ー ノ ) for 2 pianos (1987)
• Sonata No. 3 "New Angel" ( 「新 し い 天使」 ) (1987)
• Postlude ( 静岡 東 高校 校歌 に よ る パ ラ フ レ ー ズ ), Paraphrase on the Shizuoka East High School Hymn (1992)
• Sōkō no mori ( 前奏曲 「草稿 の 森」 , Forest of Drafts) (1993)
• 四 都 for 2 pianos (2000)
• Khanbaliq ( カ ム バ リ ク ) for 2 pianos (2004)
• Dance Suite for 2 Pianos (2004)
• 3 Intermezzos ( 三 つ の 間奏曲 ) (2006).

Film music

• Voice Without a Shadow ( 影 な き 声 ) (1958)
• Hadaka No Shima ( 裸 の 島 ) (1960) - The Naked Island
• Brave Records of the Sanada Clan ( 真 田風雲 録 ) (1963)
• Onibaba ( 鬼 婆 , Eng. " Onibaba - The Töterinnen ") (1964)
• Muri Shinjū : Nihon no Natsu ( 無理 心中 日本 の 夏 ) (1967) - The night of the murderer
• Kōshikei ( 絞 死刑 ) (1968) - Death by hanging
• Yabu no naka no Kuroneko ( 藪 の 中 の 黒 猫 ) (1968)
• Shōnen ( 少年 ) (1969) - The boy
• Mōjū ( 盲 獣 , Mōjū) (1969) - The blind beast
• Under the Flag of the Rising Sun ( 軍旗 は た め く 下 に ) (1972)
• A Last Note ( 午後 の 遺言 状 ) (1995)

literature

• Kanazawa, Masakata and Judith Herd: Hayashi, Hikaru . In: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , Macmillan Publishers, London, 2001

Web links

• Hikaru Hayashi in the Internet Movie Database (English)