Dr. Murayama, Good night, sir ! In my 60th Anniversary of 26th May 2003, I have produced a memorial CD of my own life work opera series, named "Hirollina Suite 102" and delivered to my old friends. The suite is composed of 7 chapters and the total time is only 37 min 28 sec. The recording had been made through the direct recording by the computer audio system and not by the ordinary musical instruments. The three modes were used as piano, violin and organ modes in return. This suite is an essence of my life work opera named "Our Two Capitals"and composed to show the outline of the opera. And in this work, the experiment of Basso Continuo and also Soprano Continuo has been challenged for the recovery of them in our modern time musics.
The 1st chapter is "Around the pond under cherry bloosoms" adajo in B flat minor pentatonica. Around the famous pond in Sagano Kyoto, the Heroine Hirollina is walking slowly under the cherry bloosoms and flowers are flying down on to the water surface of the pond swinging elegantly. The mode is piano and in the tempo of rubato altering any time throughout the chapter. The point is how to express the state of cherry flowers falling down towards the water surface. Utilizing the highest tone of piano, the fall of cherry bloosoms was expressed finely to predict the last stage of Hero Danttino's death under full bloosoms.
The second chapter is "Eternal Love" in violin mode larghetto also B flat minor pentatonica and the tempo will not change. The violin mode covers the wide range of the strings quartet or violin to contrabass. Danttino will sing with this melody the song of "Eternal Love". There is an old fairy tale that the two will be happy if they could start in the opposite directions and return to the starting point of the round pond. The performance of violin mode is not a real one, because the performance was done by the keyboard. The fine expression of violin music is impossible by the present techniques of the computer music sytem. I hope the more progress of the computer MIDI system as to be able to perform more natural expressions in the near future.
The 3rd chapter is "March to Happiness" in organ mode andante D flat major pentatonica and the tempo will not change. Danttino and Hirollina march towards the Imperial Palace to report on their happiness where the Emperor Godaigo waiting for their arrival. The organ is a giant instument covering the supreme high tones to super bass sounds with gravity and strength. The heavy harmony of organ is so attractive and holy like in church.
The 4th chapter is "Dance in the Dream" allegro both in D flat major and B flat minor in piano mode with tempo rubato. The music will develop in full expansion fast and slow, high and low, strong and weak and especially the tempo will alter throughout the chapter. So wide in the full range of 88 keys, the tonality could not be fixed. This music had been composed for the dance on stage in the scene of the two fighting with fortune in the war time. The two will be separated from each other at last by fortune in the reality or in the dream ? And this scene is the climax of this opera. The expression by piano is to be so brave and also fine, rapid or slow to describe their mind in the dream with tempo infinito which will achieve the ultimiate change of tempo.
The 5th chapter is "Joy of Love" larghetto B flat minor pentatonica in violin mode and the tempo will not change. The Duet of Danttino and Hirollina will be performed with the accompaniment of this music on stage. The victory of love is not in the reality but will be given in the Heaven. Though they had failed in the reality but they will get the eternal victory with the deep pray for God. And the rest days of Danttino will be so short before the forthcoming end of the opera.
The 6th chapter is "Light of Heaven" largo B flat minor in organ mode and the tempo will not chage in the real performance but in the inner tempo it will change rapidly like allegro and this point is the spirit of this Suite. Let's think of the car running in the slower speed but the mind of driver is so exited. The last high tone is the symbolization of the light straightly to the Heaven.
The last chapter is "Farewell under the cherry Storm" adajo and allegro B flat minor pentatonica and the tempo will change. The cherry flowers fall down slowly in the first half part, but in the latter half part the cherry bloosoms will totally fall down like in storm. And Danttino will die under the cherry storm praying for Hirollina shouting in mind "Let's meet again in the Heaven where I will wait long for your coming up!" How to express the cherry storm in piano mode ? The music will be performed with the stage where the paper cherry flowers really fall like in storm on to Danttino in the finale of this oprera. In Japanese literature the cherry bloosom is the symbol of departure in spring as many poets had sung in the history of Tanka style. The last high tone of this chapter will show the instance of Danttino's going up to Heaven !