The Yamaoka Memorial Foundation held the “4th High School Wind Ensemble Open Lesson Concert by Eiji Oue” at Amashin Archaic Hall (Amagasaki City) on November 1, 2020 (Sun).

In this project, students of junior and senior high school wind ensembles learn from world-renowned musicians how to create music with a wide range of musicality and expressive power by reading the implications hidden in the sheet music, such as the historical background in which the piece was written and the composer's intentions and sentiments, rather than playing the piece according to the score. In order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus at his year's event, the concert was held on a smaller scale with only two high school wind ensembles, which limited the number of people on stage and avoided a joint rehearsal of junior and senior high schools, in which students tend to be densely seated.

This year, we again welcomed the world-famous conductor Eiji Oue from Germany. With the motto “Let's share the depth and splendor of music through German music” in mind, the concert featured music by Paul Hindemith and Johann Sebastian Bach, two of Germany's most famous composers.

The program began with a 40-minute lesson from Maestro Oue for the students, followed by a performance of the piece. Members of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra and other orchestras participated in both the lesson and the performance again this year, giving the students guidance on performance and expression methods. During the lesson, the students listened with serious faces so as not to miss a single word of Maestro Oue's explanations about the stories of the pieces and how to play them, and they were guided enthusiastically by their teachers.

During the performance, Maestro Oue and the students united and gave a wonderful performance that conveyed their feelings about the piece and the joy of playing it through sound. After the lesson, the students' understanding of the music had deepened, and the audience was greatly impressed by their powerful performance, which ended with a round of applause. After the show, Maestro Oue and the students continued to interact with each other, and there were times when he and the students touched elbows and savored their sense of accomplishment. This year, the audience was limited to those involved in the concert, so the Amagasaki concert was attended by only about 370 people, but it was as lively concert as usual. In the questionnaire responses from the audience, we received many comments that showed surprise at the change in tone before and after the lesson, and many audience members said they hoped for the event to continue next year. We also received feedback from the parents and guardians of the students, who said, “At a time when many school events are cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this event gave the students the opportunity to make memories that will last a lifetime and they were energized by the performance.”

Date & Time: November 1, 2020 (Sun), Start: 2 pm (doors open at 1 pm)

Venue: Amashin Archaic Hall

Performed by: Hyogo Prefectural Amagasaki Inazono High School Wind Ensemble, Amagasaki Municipal Amagasaki Sousei High School Wind Ensemble

Program:

・Part 1

Set piece: Paul Hindemith / March in the 4th movement from “Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber”
Performed by: Hyogo Prefectural Amagasaki Inazono High School Wind Ensemble, members of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra and other orchestras (for support)

・Part 2

Set piece: Johann Sebastian Bach / Toccata and Fugue in D minor
Performed by : Amagasaki Municipal Amagasaki Sousei High School Wind Ensemble, members of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra and other orchestras (for support)