Myself in the Disguise of an Ancient Goddess / 古代女神に扮した私 (2008)
Genre / ジャンル
Solo koto (with voice)
Duration / 演奏時間
11 minutes / 11分
Text / テクスト
Text in Japanese by Mustuo Takahshi
日本語のテクストは高橋睦郎による
日本語のテクストは高橋睦郎による
Other information / 他の情報
Premièred 22 January 2010, Yodobashi Church, Tokyo, by Naoko Kikuchi
2010年1月22日、東京、淀橋教会に於いて、菊地奈緒子氏によって初演されました
2010年1月22日、東京、淀橋教会に於いて、菊地奈緒子氏によって初演されました
Score available for perusal or purchase (pdf or printed copy) from the Canadian Music Centre.
Programme Note
Myself in the Disguise of an Ancient Goddess is a result of my attempt to come to grips with both the musical and cultural history of Japan over the 18 months I lived in and around Tokyo. Over that time, I learned a little bit of the Japanese language, enough to read poetry with the help of a few dictionaries, and spent some time learning to play the koto as well, an instrument whose sound and versatility had intrigued me for many years.
The poem, by Takahashi Mutsuo, is one of 50 self-portraits he wrote in the 1970s, in which he takes on different personae and explores how, within that persona, he deals with homosexual lust and love. This poem is haughty, domineering and apocalyptic in tone; Mutsuo as an Ancient Goddess first mocks, and then devours his/her young, ignorant lover/supplicant/worshipper/sacrificial victim.
This music is very simply constructed as a linear setting of the poem. I attempted to reflect the mood of the poem, especially the detached aloofness of the goddess’s manner. The koto is tuned in a traditional key, and almost exclusively uses traditional playing techniques; a deliberate decision made in order to root the piece in a mythical past.
The poem, by Takahashi Mutsuo, is one of 50 self-portraits he wrote in the 1970s, in which he takes on different personae and explores how, within that persona, he deals with homosexual lust and love. This poem is haughty, domineering and apocalyptic in tone; Mutsuo as an Ancient Goddess first mocks, and then devours his/her young, ignorant lover/supplicant/worshipper/sacrificial victim.
This music is very simply constructed as a linear setting of the poem. I attempted to reflect the mood of the poem, especially the detached aloofness of the goddess’s manner. The koto is tuned in a traditional key, and almost exclusively uses traditional playing techniques; a deliberate decision made in order to root the piece in a mythical past.
解説
『古代女神に扮した私』は1970年代、高橋睦郎の手になる50篇の 『SELFPORTRAITS』(“自画像”)のひとつ。作中、高橋は自身とは別のペルソナにな り、その人格のうちにおいて、同性愛的肉欲と愛とを如何に取り扱うことが出来るのかを 探求している。高慢で殆んど独裁的とも、或いは黙示録的とも言うべき調子がこの詩には ある。古代女神に扮した高橋は、この若く無知な愛人・哀願する者・崇拝する者・生贄を 嘲笑い、貪り尽くすのである。
この詩に曲を附けるに当たってはこの詩の雰囲気、取り分けこの女神の超然として冷淡と もいえる振る舞いを巧く反映させるべく工夫を凝らした。この作品の神話的な古代の抒情 を醸し出すため、調弦(本雲井調子)、奏法ともに敢えて伝統的な法に遵った。
この詩に曲を附けるに当たってはこの詩の雰囲気、取り分けこの女神の超然として冷淡と もいえる振る舞いを巧く反映させるべく工夫を凝らした。この作品の神話的な古代の抒情 を醸し出すため、調弦(本雲井調子)、奏法ともに敢えて伝統的な法に遵った。