UTAGE（2024）

I composed Utage with the work as a whole interspersed with allusions to Gunma Prefecture, including the Gunma Symphony Orchestra, which came into existence soon after the end of the Second World War under the name Takasaki Civic Orchestra, the magnificent mountainous landscapes, the sound of the looms used in the silk-spinning mills of the city of Tomioka, which served as the precursors of Japanese industrial modernization, the karakkaze wind which blows down from the mountaintops, and the folk songs Yagi-bushi and Kusatsu-bushi, which have been sung down the ages and convey the distinctive atmosphere of the prefecture.
With its rich natural environment, this is a place that can convey a sense of nostalgia even on a first visit. I composed this piece with the image in mind of the warmth and fervour of the people who dwell in this ever attractive location.