SHIN RITSU RYO NIJU SHŌ for Violin and Piano（2014）

After the two premieres of a massive symphony and a symphonic collaboration work were given last year，I reached a stage in my mind and thought that the next would be "Violin". Though exquisite violin makers in Cremona have made a number of famous instruments，namely，Amati，Stradivari，Guarneri，the violin family didn't have an era of prototype and saw its sudden glory days. While viol (gamba) family went through various changes，violin family held a position of "star" all along without such transition. To put it shortly，this instrument is a genius. It is still a king of stringed instruments now and plays a concert master in the orchestra. When I inquired how music was theorized at that time in Japan，I found Genkei Nakane (1662-1733)，an astronomer and wasan- mathematician in the middle of Edo period，also talented in music theory like Pythagoras，studied the scales of Gagaku and Zokugaku (worldly music) and noted "Ritsugen-hokki (12 equal temperament tuning)" on the equal division of the octave. My concept is in this fact that there was a Japanese scholar who focused 12 tones in the same time of Bach. If I had been there with a Stradivari，the sound should have been like this. When we have got the sense of structure in contemporary music，the sonata form ABA could be condensed into a constructing binary form，even in atonal in extreme case. Taking those ideas into account，this piece consists of contrasting ABA，the middle part which introduced "contemporary wording" and "prime number"，and both sides which centered a free musical idea. Thinking about Genkei Nakane who played an active role in the time of YoshimuneTokugawa，I span tones as if transcending time and space. Then I titled it "Old but New".
Ritsu，Ryo，Sho-，mean rhythm，mode，interval，respectively in Traditional Japanese music. I hope you will find the different images from those of Western music.
Last of all，I would like to express my hearty appreciation and respect to Zen-On Music Company LTD for the commission and publication.

Reference: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia
(From the original programme notes)

At the premiere，Ms.Nobu Wakabayashi，who played the violin，gave us suggestions on bowing and the other techniques. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude.
However，it is very unfortunate that she did her best to perform again，but after that，she was summoned to heaven.
I whish send the publication to a nostalgic old friend.