Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The is an orchestra
based in Hiroshima
, Japan
, founded in 1963. It is the only professional
orchestra in Japan's Chūgoku region
.
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
based in Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, founded in 1963. It is the only professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
orchestra in Japan's Chūgoku region
Chugoku region
The , also known as the , is the westernmost region of Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori and Yamaguchi. It has a population of about 7.8 million.- History :...
.
Music Directors, Conductors and Concertmasters
- Akeo WatanabeAkeo WatanabeAkeo Watanabe was a Japanese symphonic conductor, known for his recordings of the works of Jan Sibelius.Watanabe was born in 1919 to a Japanese father and a Finnish mother. He studied music and conducted at the Tokyo Academy of Music in Japan and the Juilliard School of Music in New York City,...
(1984–1986) - Ken Takaseki (1986–1990)
- Yoshikazu TanakaYoshikazu TanakaYoshikazu Tanaka is a Japanese entrepreneur who is a developer of Social Networking Service GREE, provided by GREE, Inc. which is an Internet business company he founded.Yoshikazu Tanaka was born in Tokyo, Mitaka-City in 1977...
(1990–1994) - Naohiro Totsuka (1994–1998)
- Norichika Iimori, Hiroyuki Odano, Kazumasa Watanabe (1995–2002)
- Hong-Jae KimHong-Jae KimKim Hong-Jae is a Zainichi Korean conductor.-Early life:The first experience of music at his early age was an upright piano at his mother's maiden home. In 1967, he entered Amagasaki Korean Middle School and studied clarinet in school band. He also studied improved Korean folk instruments sent...
(2002–2004) - Kazuyoshi AkiyamaKazuyoshi Akiyamais a Japanese conductor.-Biography:Born into a musical family, he studied piano at the Toho Gakuen School of Music, but was fascinated by the conducting activities of a fellow student, Seiji Ozawa. He decided to study conducting with Hideo Saito...
(1998–)
History
- Founded as the "Hiroshima Civic Orchestra" in 1963.
- Renamed the "Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra" in 1969.
- Became a professional orchestra in 1972.
- Akeo Watanabe inaugurated as the music directorMusic directorA music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
and the permanent conductor in 1984. - Held UN peacePeacePeace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
concertConcertA concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s in ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in 1991. - Held concerts at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art SpaceTokyo Metropolitan Art SpaceThe Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space is a Japanese concert hall and theater located in Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo, operated by Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture.- External links :...
in TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and The Symphony Hall in OsakaOsakais a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
in 1993. - Performed for the opening events of the 12th Asian Games in Hiroshima1994 Asian GamesThe 1994 Asian Games also known as XII Asiad were held from October 2 to October 16, 1994 in Hiroshima, Japan. The main theme of this edition was to promote peace and harmony among Asian nations. It was emphasized by the host because the venue was the site of the first atomic bomb attack in...
in 1994. - In the 149th regular concert, performed Krzysztof PendereckiKrzysztof PendereckiKrzysztof Penderecki , born November 23, 1933 in Dębica) is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral St. Luke Passion. Both these...
's "Threnody to the Victims of HiroshimaThrenody to the Victims of HiroshimaThrenody to the Victims of Hiroshima is a musical composition for 52 string instruments, composed in 1960 by Krzysztof Penderecki , which took third prize at the Grzegorz Fitelberg Composers' Competition in Katowice in 1960...
" in 1994. - Performed Toshio HosokawaToshio Hosokawais a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music.-Biography:Hosokawa studied with Yun Isang at the Berlin University of the Arts. Since 1998, Hosokawa has served as Composer-in-Residence at the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. In 2004, Hosokawa became a guest professor at Tokyo College of Music...
's "Hiroshima Requiem" and Ikuma DanIkuma Danwas a Japanese composer.- Biography :Dan was born in Tokyo, the descendant of a prominent family, his grandfather Baron Dan Takuma having been President of Mitsui before being assassinated in 1932. He graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1946...
's "Symphony No.6 'Hiroshima' to support world peace in 1995. - Started their forum to develop the ideal picture of the local symphony for the 21 century in 1997.
- Started the RCCRCC Broadcasting CompanyRCC Broadcasting Company is a Japanese broadcaster which serves the Hiroshima region.- TV :*Analog** Hiroshima JOER-TV 4CH** Onomichi JOEE-TV 10CH** Fukuyama 7CH** Miyoshi, Kure, Higashihiroshima-Saijo 9CH...
TV program "Hiroshima symphony" in 1997. - Performed BeethovenLudwig van BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
's Symphony No.5Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven)The Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1804–08. This symphony is one of the most popular and best-known compositions in all of classical music, and one of the most often played symphonies. It comprises four movements: an opening sonata, an andante, and a fast...
and other works for the October in Normandy (the events with classical and modern music) in NormandyNormandyNormandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
in 1997. - Performed Toshio HosokawaToshio Hosokawais a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music.-Biography:Hosokawa studied with Yun Isang at the Berlin University of the Arts. Since 1998, Hosokawa has served as Composer-in-Residence at the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. In 2004, Hosokawa became a guest professor at Tokyo College of Music...
's "Memory of the Sea" in 1998. - Kazuyoshi Akiyama was inaugurated as the first conductor in 1998.
- Held the international music festival "August in Hiroshima '99" and performed MahlerGustav MahlerGustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
's "Symphony No.2Symphony No. 2 (Mahler)The Symphony No. 2 by Gustav Mahler, known as the Resurrection, was written between 1888 and 1894, and first performed in 1895. Apart from the Eighth Symphony, this symphony was Mahler's most popular and successful work during his lifetime. It is his first major work that would eventually mark his...
" in 1999. - Performed in the 3rd orchestra festival for local cities in Japan at Sumida Triphony Hall in 2000.
- Held the 200th regular concert and performed Ottorino RespighiOttorino RespighiOttorino Respighi was an Italian composer, musicologist and conductor. He is best known for his orchestral "Roman trilogy": Fountains of Rome ; Pines of Rome ; and Roman Festivals...
's "The Roman trilogy (Fontane di RomaFontane di RomaFontane di Roma is a 1916 work by the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi, now considered part of the Roman Trilogy of symphonic poems along with Feste Romane and Pini di Roma. Each of the four sections is meant to depict one of Rome’s fountains during different periods of the day and night...
, Pini di RomaPini di RomaPines of Rome is a symphonic poem written in 1924 by the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi and, together with Fontane di Roma and Feste Romane, forms what is sometimes loosely referred to as his "Roman trilogy"...
, Feste RomaneFeste RomaneFeste Romane is a work for very large symphony orchestra composed in 1926, by the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi. It is a tone poem depicting scenes from Ancient Rome of the Roman Empire...
)" in 2000. - Performed Eduard TubinEduard Tubin-Life:Tubin was born in Torila, Governorate of Livonia, Estonia. Both his parents were music lovers, and his father played trumpet and trombone in the village band. His first taste of music came at school where he learned flute and balalaika. Later, his father swapped a cow for a piano, and the...
's "Symphony No.3 in D minor 'Heroic'" in 2002. - Performed in the orchestra festival for local cities in Japan in 2003.
- Performed at the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Large Hall to celebrate the 300th Anniversary of Saint PetersburgSaint PetersburgSaint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
and receiving a medal from UNESCOUNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in 2003. - Performed in SeoulSeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, BusanBusanBusan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
, and DaeguDaeguDaegu , also known as Taegu, and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the...
to celebrate Korea-Japan Friendship Year in 2005. - Founded the Hiroshima United with Hiroshima Toyo CarpHiroshima Toyo CarpThe are a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda. Mazda is the largest single shareholder , which is less than the portion owned by the Matsuda family . Because of that,...
and Sanfrecce HiroshimaSanfrecce Hiroshimais a Japanese association football club in the J. League Division 1.-Club name:The club name is a portmanteau of the Japanese numeral for three, San and an Italian word frecce or 'arrows'...
in 2007.