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The Kingfisher’s hour was commissioned for the PTNA composition in 2021.
Preface by the composer Atsushi Yamanaka
On the path home from elementary school, there was a riverbank beyond the verdant woods, and perched upon the branch was a Kingfisher. I gently gazed at its emerald green plumes with a hushed breath, and its beauty seared into my mind as a vivid memory.The image of the dignified Kingfisher inexplicably reappeared as I envisioned the competitors pushing themselves to their utmost limits, bearing their love of music – a moment so utterly pure and ephemeral as a fleeting mirage.
I would be delighted to have this work performed with a sense of fantasy.
Performed by Kyohei Imaizumi
Atsushi Yamanaka
Atsushi Yamanaka graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts with a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Composition. He later graduated with a degree in piano from the same university. He won the first prize in the composition category of the 26th Sogakudo Japanese Song competition. His works for instrumental music, chamber music and chorus have been published by Yamaha Music Media and Kawai Publishing.
As a pianist, he made his recital debut in 2018. He is also a highly respected chamber musician and has been invited to perform with many of the world’s leading musicians. In 2020, he formed the piano duo “176” (Un Sept Six) with the pianist and composer Yusuke Takahashi, and has been playing orchestral works arranged by themselves. Their first concert featured “Respighi’s Roman Trilogy” as the main programme, with the score published by Kawai Publishing and a live recording.
His latest album, “The John Williams Piano Collection”, will be released by Avex Classics in October 2021. In this season (2021), he has composed a new piece for the Ptna Piano Competition, the music theatre “Sherlock Holmes” (starring Koichi Yamadera, script/direction/composition by Minoru Nozaka), and was invited by the Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra to play Liszt/Piano Concerto No.1. He is also a part-time lecturer at Tokyo University of the Arts.
