Reminiscence (2002) by Toshio Hosokawa (b. 1955)
Recorded with VF Giff Howarth Signature Series M160, M161, and M163.
Toshio Hosokawa composed Reminiscence in 2002 for Kunihiko Komori, who subsequently gave its premiere at Toyko Opera City Recital Hall in Tokyo on December 17, 2002. This enigmatic, often un-idiomatic work for solo marimba explores the dark, low register of the instrument, proceeding through slowly-evolving harmonies, returning often to brooding diminished chords at points of resolve. After brief moments of repose, the texture suddenly takes on a new shape, at once both measured and arhythmic. Hosokawa doubles down on the escapist-nature of the harmonic foundations, simultaneously establishing the gravity of Eb with the wavering nature of the octatonic scale. Eventually the instability subsides in a Mahler-like alternation of Eb minor and Eb major, eventually giving way to the final resolution in the major key. Taken as a whole, Reminiscence poses some seemingly existential questions, inviting us to live within an active and inactive tension until the eventual release finally arrives.
Recording Engineer: Branic Howard and Open Field Recording
Audio Editing, Mixing, and Mastering by Branic Howard
Video Production by Garrett Arney
Video Editing and Production by MacGregor Arney
Recorded at Bauman Auditorium at George Fox University, October 2021
Special Thanks to George Fox University
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