Yasuo Kuwahara

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Yasuo Kuwahara ( Japanese 桑 原 康 雄 , Kuwahara Yasuo ; born December 12, 1946 in Kobe , Japan ; † December 6, 2003 ) was a Japanese mandolinist and composer for plucked music . He was chairman of various musical institutions and organizations. He also taught composition and artistic mandolin playing.

After studying with Kinuko Hiruma , he was first known in Japan for his musical solo performances on the mandolin and his outstanding playing technique. Through his European debut at a plucked music festival in Mannheim in 1982 , the European plucked musicians noticed him. After his performance in Providence , USA in 1983 , Yasuo Kuwahara also became known in North America. Since then he has gained more and more recognition and fame in the field of plucked music. His compositions for plucked orchestra are often atConcerts listed. He also composed works for chamber ensembles and for soloists .

Compositions

Yasuo Kuwahara's expressive compositions often tell stories. The Song of Japanese Autumn, for example, describes the farmers' struggle against time in early autumn before an autumn storm with heavy rain showers breaks in, after which the weather calms down again at the end of the piece.

Yasuo Kuwahara often weaves modern playing techniques into his compositions. This is taken to extremes in his orchestral work Novemberfest , in which he has integrated 7 different percussive effects in the first mandolin part alone . Instead of strings to pluck or tremolo is with your fingers, knuckles or the plectrum knocked in different parts of the instrument.

In his compositions Yasuo Kuwahara uses elements of new music , such as minimal music . A good example is the piece Beyond the rainbow ( Beyond the Rainbow happen) time and again repeated in the long passages and only occasionally slightly varied sequences, with similar sequences of different voices overlap or move rhythmically.

Characteristic of Yasuo Kuwahara's pieces are long, expressive tremolo passages , such as those often found in Japanese plucked music .

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