Improviser/composer Hiroyuki Ura, sculptor Kenichi Kanazawa, and classical pianist Satoko Inoue released two CDs on the Meenna label in 2017, and the three artists are united again in "Land of the Hermits." The earlier CDs, "Scores" and "Scores at Ftarri" (both released in 2017), are made up of their live performances of a composition by Ura, which was based on a sculptural work by Kanazawa. The performance heard on "Scores" took place at The Museum of Modern Art, Gunma, in October 2016; the performance on "Scores at Ftarri" was held at Ftarri in January 2017. The single track on "Land of the Hermits" (29 min. 50 sec.) is a live performance of Ura's composition "Duration, Dynamics and Pitch" that was held at Tokyo Art Museum in Chofu, Tokyo, on November 3, 2017. Ura played keyboard and percussion; Kanazawa, steel; and Inoue, toy piano. The performance also featured guest musicians Yuma Takeshita, who plays a remodeled bass guitar he calls an electro-bass; and Paris resident Léo Dupleix, who uses a computer and a vibrating tin can. The 26-page score of this work consists of extremely simple instructions made up of one, two, or all three of the elements of sound duration, dynamics, and pitch--for example, "Long," "Soft," "Low-pitched," "Long, Soft," "Short, Loud, High-pitched." Each player makes one sound per page; and when those sounds are finished, they all turn the page and proceed to the next page. Though it's a composition, the simple score means there are a great many sections left up to the players' discretion. Successions of small sounds from the toy piano hop and leap, intense percussive sounds tear up the space, and then there is quiet. Throughout, sound clusters appear and continue, interspersed with short periods of silence. Exquisite sound-making by each player, along with an overall structural beauty and high level of tension, make for a truly superb performance. 2017年に Meenna レーベルより2枚のCDをリリースした、浦裕幸、金沢健一、井上郷子の3人が再び結集。即興演奏家 / 作曲家の浦裕幸、彫刻家の金沢健一、現代音楽ピアニストの井上郷子は、金沢の彫刻作品に基づいて浦が作曲した作品 "Scores" を群馬県立近代美術館 (2016年10月) と Ftarri (2017年1月) でライヴ演奏。それらは『Scores』、『Scores at Ftarri』と題した2枚のCDとなって、どちらも2017年にリリースされた。 本CDには、浦が作曲した "Duration, Dynamics and Pitch" を、2017年11月3日、東京都調布市にある東京アートミュージアムでライヴ演奏した29分50秒の1曲を収録。浦はキーボード、パーカッション、金沢はスチール、井上はトイ・ピアノをそれぞれ楽器として使用。さらにこの3人に加えて、エレクトロ・ベースと称する改造ベース・ギター奏者の竹下勇馬と、フランス、パリ在住の Léo Dupleix (コンピュータ、缶) がゲスト参加。 曲のスコアは、音の長さ、強弱、高低の3つの要素について、例えば "Long"、"Soft"、"Low- pitched"、"Long, Soft"、"Short, Loud, High-pitched" のような、ひとつの要素、または複数の要素の組み合わせからなる極簡単な指示を書き記した紙26枚。各演奏者は、スコアである26枚の紙を1枚につき1音発音し、全員が発音し終わったら紙をめくって次の紙の指示へと進む。曲の演奏ではあるものの、単純なスコアによって、演奏者に委ねられる部分が非常に多い構成となっている。 トイ・ピアノの小さな音の連なりが飛び跳ね、強烈な打音の響きが空間を引き裂き、そして静寂が訪れる。終始、いくつかの音の重なりが、ひと時の無音をはさんで姿を変えつつ現れ続ける。各奏者の絶妙な音出し、全体としての見事な構成力と高度なテンションが堪能できる名演。 Satoko Inoue: toy piano Kenichi Kanazawa: steel Hiroyuki Ura: keyboard, percussion Guests: Léo Dupleix: computer, vibrating tin can Yuma Takeshita: electro-bass Recorded live at Tokyo Art Museum, Chofu, Tokyo, November 3, 2017 Recorded and mastered by Hiroyuki Ura Design by Mayumi Go