Yamaoka Memorial Foundation – Music Project (Amagasaki City)
The Yamaoka Memorial Foundation held the “5th High School Wind Ensemble Open Lesson Concert by Eiji Oue” at Amashin Archaic Hall (Amagasaki City) on November 6, 2021 (Sat).
In this project, students of junior and senior high school wind ensembles learn from world-renowned Maestro Oue 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 view of the situation of the novel coronavirus, we held this year’s event again after taking all possible measures to prevent infection with the virus.
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 Carl Teike and Richard Strauss, two of Germany's most famous composers.
As usual, the program began with a lesson from Maestro Oue for the students, followed by a performance of the pieces. Members of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra and other orchestras participated in both the lesson and the performance again this year, giving the students easy-to-understand explanations and guidance on what the maestro was looking for in terms of performance and expression methods. During the lesson, the students eagerly took notes in their sheet music so as not to miss a single word of Maestro Oue's explanations about the background of the pieces and how to play them, and they were guided enthusiastically by the maestro.
In the performance, as if Maestro Oue's soulful lessons had been transferred to the students, they gave powerful and expressive performances that conveyed their joy of playing and their strong desire to deliver a good performance. The audience was very impressed with the wonderful performance that showed the students' increased understanding of the music after the lesson. As an encore, the students of the Sosei Senior High School’s wind ensemble played “Old Friends,” the piece assigned to the junior high school students in the first part of the concert. The audience enthusiastically clapped along with the maestro, and at the end of the concert, everyone was partaking in the performance. After the concert, the maestro, the performers, the presenter, and the advising guest teachers all touched elbows to express their sense of accomplishment. In the audience questionnaire responses, we received many comments that they were overwhelmed by the 180-degree change in tone before and after the lesson, as well as hopes for the event to continue next year. We also received the following comment: “The students' honest spirit and passionate performance gave me power and energy for tomorrow and beyond.”
The 5th Open Lesson Concert for Middle and High School Wind Ensembles by Eiji Oue
Date & Time: November 6, 2021 (Sat) Start: 2 pm (Admission from 1 pm)
Venue: Amashin Archaic Hall
Performed by: Amagasaki Municipal Muko Junior High School Wind Ensemble, Amagasaki Municipal Amagasaki Sosei Senior High School Wind Ensemble
Program:
- Part 1
Set piece: Carl Teike / “Old friends”
Performed by: Amagasaki Municipal Muko Junior High School Wind Ensemble,
members of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra and other orchestras (for support)
- Part 2
Set piece: Richard Strauss / Suite from the opera “The Knight of the Rose” (excerpt)
Performed by: Amagasaki Municipal Amagasaki Sosei Senior High School Wind Ensemble,
members of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra and other orchestras (for support)