Toru Takemitsu - Toward The Sea (Daisuke Suzuki; Kazuhiro Iwasa)

Information

Composer: Toru Takemitsu

1. Sayōnara
2. Unseen Child
3. Will Tomorrow, I Wonder, Be Cloudy or Clear?
4. A Song of Circles and Triangles
5. Nami no bon
6. Kesa no aki
7. Glowing Autumn
8. 3 Film Scores: No. 3, The Face of Another
9. In the Month of March
10. Good Morning! Texas
11. To the Island
12. Toward the Sea: I. The Night
13. Toward the Sea: II. Moby Dick
14. Toward the Sea: III. Cape Cod
15. Futen rōjin nikki: Sacrifice (Fragments)
16. Air

Daisuke Suzuki, guitar

Kazuhiro Iwasa, flute

Date: 2026

Label: ART INFINI

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This album, marking the 30th anniversary of Toru Takemitsu’s passing, highlights the composer’s lyrical qualities through works featuring the intimate combination of guitar and flute. Takemitsu was inspired to pursue music at the age of fourteen after hearing a single chanson, an experience that shaped his lifelong sensitivity to melody. Appropriately, one of the final works released during his lifetime was Air, a title that evokes both wind and song. Although often associated with complex and avant-garde techniques, Takemitsu’s music consistently reveals a deep commitment to expressive melodic lines, reflecting a life-affirming musical voice that blends modern experimentation with poetic lyricism.

Daisuke Suzuki is a distinguished Japanese classical guitarist recognized for his refined technique and insightful interpretations, particularly of contemporary repertoire. While studying in Salzburg in 1995, he received praise from composer Toru Takemitsu, and his recording The Complete Collection of Toru Takemitsu’s Guitar Works (1997) became widely acclaimed. Suzuki has premiered works by numerous contemporary Japanese composers and made world-premiere recordings of several Takemitsu pieces, including In the Forest and Spectral Canticle for Violin, Guitar, and Orchestra. Known for innovative, art-inspired concert programs often presented in museums, he is also an accomplished arranger and composer. In 2021 he published guitar arrangements of Takemitsu’s film and television music, and since 2022 he has explored the expressive possibilities of the eight-string guitar.

Kazuhiro Iwasa is a Japanese flutist who began studying the instrument at age fourteen and later continued his training in France after graduating from Tokyo College of Music. He studied with Raymond Guyot at the Conservatoire Berlioz in Paris’s 10th arrondissement and with Shigenori Kudo at the Conservatoire Normale de Musique de Paris, graduating with honors from both institutions. Iwasa won a prize in the flute division of the Paris UFAM International Competition. In 1991 he toured Europe and the United States with the Saito Kinen Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa and has participated in the Saito Kinen Festival in Matsumoto for more than three decades. He performs widely at international festivals, records chamber music, and serves as associate professor at Tokyo College of Music.

High Resolution 24-bit / 192 kHz