Square of Thoughts Vol. 1 “Crossing in Austria”

*Information at the time of adoption.

Name of the organization or individual

Takahiro Kuroda

subsidy category

start-up subsidy

Grant Type

single year individual

FY 2022 1st Startup Subsidy

Curtain Call Photo: Satoshi Goto

Maiko Inamura (soprano) Photo: Goto Ten

Shino SAITO (Flute) Photo by Satoshi GOTO

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Business Overview

Two composers of different generation and origin, Beat Furrer from Switzerland and Takahiro Kuroda from Japan, who studied composition in Austria, put together a program of the same composition (soprano and flute), and tried to convey to the audience the differences and similarities between their works. In the first half of the program, he performed two independent chamber works taken from Beat Furrer's opera "invocation," and a composition inspired by a radio drama (German: Hörspiel). In the latter half of the program, a new work by Kuroda, the promoter of this project, was premiered. This piece uses the poem "The Willow" by Anna Akhmatova, a female poet active from Tsarist Russia to the Soviet Union. It was a concert that deepened the understanding, insight, and interest of the Japanese audience in the characteristics and deep understanding of the contemporary music scene in Austria (of course, only a part of it can be introduced), and in addition, the audience was highly satisfied.

implementation period

Wednesday, August 10, 2022
* Online release until Friday, September 9

Place of implementation

KM Art Hall (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)

*Information such as project outlines is provided by organizations and individuals providing subsidies.

Profile

Kuroda Takahiro
Composer based in Tokyo.
Kuroda's recent works range from pure musical interest to social and political interest, but his greatest interest is for the audience and viewers to face some question through his works. While he makes works that approach the way time and space are and the transformation of musical works born from his thoughts on the relationship between sound and silence, he also observes various histories from the past to the present, as well as current social conditions and situations, and makes works that raise and approach issues that emerge from those observations. These are his personal interests, but he hopes that the works created from these interests will mirror the inner thoughts of his audience and viewers.

Winner of the 29 Rising Sound Composer Award and the 37 Irino Award. In 2018, he received a commission from Music From Japan and was invited to Music From Japan Festival 2019 in New York as a Japanese composer influenced by John Cage.