Isao Tomita

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Isao Tomita ( Japanese 冨 田 勲 , Tomita Isao ; born April 22, 1932 in Tokyo ; † May 5, 2016 there ) was a Japanese musician and composer .

Childhood and adolescence

Tomita was born in Tokyo in 1932, the eldest son of a doctor. His family soon moved to China , and he grew up in Qingdao and then Beijing . When he reached school age, he returned to Japan and lived in Okazaki , his father's homeland. He then moved to Tokyo to attend a private middle school attached to the Keio University . He later studied aesthetics and art history at Keio University until 1955 .

Musical career

He began to learn music composition in self-study. When he attended middle school, he learned composition from Hirao Kishiro ( 平 尾 貴 四 男 ), Kofune Kōjirō ( 小船 幸 次郎 ) and then Hirota Ryūtarō ( 弘 田 龍 太郎 ). In the second year of his studies, he won first prize in Asahi Shimbun's composition competition . This success moved him to make composition his profession. He already worked as a composer during his studies.

Tomita became known for his translations of mainly classical pieces on synthesizers . 1974 Isao Tomita brought out piano pieces by Claude Debussy under the title Snowflakes Are Dancing . In 1975 his probably best-known work, Pictures at an Exhibition , originally composed for piano by Modest Mussorgsky , was published as a synthesizer version. In 1976 Tomita Gustav Holsts realized The Planets . At the beginning he composed a rocket launch with a countdown from Earth, in which the theme of Jupiter dominates. In the same year, Tomita published, in addition to a selection of different classical works, on the record Kosmos also a synthesized version of John Williams ' theme for the film Star Wars , which ends with a small surprise effect and overlaps seamlessly with a fragment from Beethoven's Für Elise . The soundtrack for the international television production Storm from the East , recorded in 1992, is also not a composition by Tomita. It is based on an old Mongolian folk song, which is varied over 15 tracks. In total, Isao Tomita has released more than 31 albums. In 2011 he was awarded the Asahi Prize for his work as a composer .

Works

  1. Snowflakes Are Dancing (1974)
    1. Snowflakes Are Dancing
    2. Reverie
    3. Gardens in the Rain
    4. Clair de lune
    5. Arabesque No. 1
    6. The Engulfed Cathedral
    7. Passepied
    8. The Girl with the Flaxen Hair
    9. Golliwog's Cakewalk
    10. Footprints in the Snow
  2. Pictures at an Exhibition (1975)
  3. The Firebird (1976)
    1. Suite from “The Firebird” ( Igor Stravinsky )
    2. Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun ( Claude Debussy )
    3. A Night on Bald Mountain ( Modest Mussorgsky )
  4. The Tomita Planets (1976)
  5. Kosmos (Space Fantasy) (1977)
    1. "Star Wars" Main Title ( John Williams )
    2. Space Fantasy ( R. Strauss / R. Wagner / Tomita)
    3. The Unanswered Question ( C. Ives )
    4. Peer Gynt: Solvejg's Song ( E. Grieg )
    5. Hora Staccato ( Dinicu / Heifetz )
    6. The Sea Named “Solaris” ( JS Bach / Tomita)
  6. Bermuda Triangle (1978)
  7. Daphnis et Chloé - The Ravel Album (1979)
    1. Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2
    2. Pavane pour une infante défunte
    3. Bolero
    4. Ma mère l'oye , suite
  8. Grand Canyon Suite (1982)
    1. Sunrise
    2. Painted Desert
    3. On the trail
    4. Sunset
    5. Cloudburst
  9. Dawn Chorus (1984)
  10. Live at Linz , 1984 (1984)
  11. Storm from the East (1992)
  12. Hansel and Gretel (live VHS, LD, 1993)
  13. School (1993)
  14. First Emperor (as musical supervisor, 1994)
  15. Shin Nihon Kikou (1994)
  16. Nasca Fantasy (supporting Kodō , 1994)
  17. Bach Fantasy (1996)
  18. Jungle Emperor Leo (1997)
  19. Gakko I-III (1998)
  20. Tale of Genji (live, 1999)
  21. 21 seiki e no densetsushi Shigeo Nagashima (2000)
  22. Tale of Genji Symphonic Fantasy (studio, 2000)
  23. Sennen no Koi: Hikaru Genji Monogatari (2001)
  24. Tokyo Disney Sea Aquasphere Theme Music (2002)
  25. The Planets 2003 (2003)
  26. Tomita on NHK (compilation, 2003)
  27. Twilight Samurai (2003)
  28. The Hidden Blade (Kakushi ken oni no Tsume) (2004)
  29. Black Jack: Futari no kuroi isha (2005)
  30. Love and Honor - Bushi no ichibun (Bushi no ichibun) (2006)
  31. Kabei (2008)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Princess Knight, Kimba the White Lion Composer Isao Tomita Passes Away
personal data
SURNAME Tomita, Isao
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 冨 田 勲 (Japanese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Japanese musician and composer
DATE OF BIRTH April 22, 1932
PLACE OF BIRTH Tokyo
DATE OF DEATH 5th May 2016
Place of death Tokyo