The Yamaoka Memorial Foundation held the “Premium Autumn Concert in Nagahama: Eiji Oue with Friends” at Asai Bunka Hall (Nagahama City) on November 3, 2020 (Tue), co-hosted by Nagahama City.

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.
We had planned to hold an open lesson concert for junior and senior high school wind ensembles in Nagahama as well, but due to the impact of die COVID-19 pandemic, this year we had to change the concept of the concert and instead invited students to listen to and learn from performances by professional musicians.
The concert was given by members of major orchestras in the Kansai region, including the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra. Although the number of visitors was limited to residents of Shiga Prefecture, the concert was attended by a large number of people.

This year, we again welcomed world-famous conductor Eiji Oue from Germany. The concert in Nagahama featured six set pieces, starting with a piece by Georg Friedrich Handel, a famous German composer.
In order to give students in junior and senior high school wind ensembles pointers for future performances, the program included pieces with instruments that are familiar to the students and are often used in wind ensembles.

In “Peter and the Wolf,” the story unfolds through the interaction between a narrator and performers, who play the roles of the story through sound, and the characteristics and emotions of the animals are expressed through sound. The audience was thrilled by the unique sounds of the instruments and the speaking performance by the narrator. In this concert, students, children and adults alike were able to enjoy learning about the characteristics of musical instruments through “Peter and the Wolf.”

The encore pieces were Mozart's “Piano Concerto No. 21 in two movements” as conducted by Maestro Oue, and Johann Strauss's “Radetzky March,” which has become a tradition of these lesson concerts. Maestro Oue played the piano while simultaneously conducting the orchestra members, thus creating a wonderful harmony. Towards the end of the encore, Maestro Oue clapped his hands while interacting with the audience, leading to such excitement in the audience that the performance ended with a standing ovation. Since the number of people was limited this year, the Nagahama concert was only attended by about 240 people, but it was a lively concert as usual. In the questionnaire responses from the audience, many people said that they were energized by the live performance at a time when concerts are restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and they hoped that the event would be held again next year.

Date & Time: November 3, 2020 (Tue) Start: 4 pm (Admission from 3:30 pm)

Venue: Asai Bunka Hall

Performed by: Members of major orchestras in the Kansai region

Program:

・Part 1

Georg Friedrich Handel / Water Music, Overture
Jean-Paul Martini / Romance celebre
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov / Trombone Concerto, 1st movement
Vaughan Williams / Tuba Concerto, 1st movement

・Part 2

Sergei Prokofiev / Peter and the Wolf

・Encore

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / Piano Concerto No. 21 in 2 movements
Johann Strauss / Radetzky March