SYMPHONY No.2 ＂Alles ist Architektur＂（2019）

Museums. Churches. Temples.
I don’t remember when I became attracted by all kinds of architecture.
To experience these spaces firsthand, I started travelling all over Japan and around the world.

I believe that architecture and music are inseparable.
Music is a vibration of the air which is influenced, mercilessly but richly, by the place where the sound resounds.
The “form” of the music changes depending on the place.
When a composer writes a score, he/she places the notes while imagining the resonance and the shape of the hall the work will be performed in.

There is a building, within which works of art and music bloom, and people gather there.
I believe that the world is built on these layers.

One day, I came across the following words.
The words of the architect Hans Hollein, who was born in Vienna, the City of Music:

“Alles is Architectur.”

This phrase, which vastly expands the concept of architecture, struck a deep and profound chord within me as someone who is constantly exploring the possibilities of music.

This Symphony No. 2 is a tribute to all the remarkable architectures of this world and its creators – and to their time and history.

First movement ― One of the great beauties of architecture is that each time, it is like starting all over again.

These are the words of Renzo Piano, the renowned Italian architect.

The buildings he designed — the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the New York Times Building in Manhattan, and Kansai International Airport in Japan — are all landmarks that symbolise the modern era.

He is undoubtedly a “modern master,” but he doesn’t like to be called an “starchitect.”
He is always striving to stay up-to-date.
It’s not about following trends, but about facing the times head-on — this is what I learnt from Mr. Piano, and it is why I have come to admire him.

The first movement is a musical portrait dedicated to Mr. Piano.
Running deep within this movement are the memories of the streets of Italy I walked, and the orchestral sounds I heard in the Auditorium Parco della Musica which Mr. Piano designed.

Listening to beautiful music in a place steeped in history —
Nothing gives me greater joy.

In this first movement, I hope you will enjoy the moment the “new symphony begins.”

Second movement ― Architecture is the arrangement of light;
sculpture is the play on light.

I wonder when the Sagrada Família will ever be finished...?
With this slightly tongue-in-cheek question and an irrepressible longing in my heart, I set off on a journey to experience Spanish art.

Antoni Gaudí, the genius architect of Sagrada Família, once remarked:

“Architecture is the arrangement of light; sculpture is the play on light.”

Gaudí, a devout Catholic, revered nature above all else.

The street of Spain may not look as orderly as Japan.
However, the shimmering reflections of sunlight on the cobbled streets seem like a piece of living artwork.

Just because something is orderly doesn’t necessary mean it is “finished.”
In fact, I feel there is something that attracts us because it is unfinished.

Perhaps one can stand at the threshold of a kind of new music only by taking time, being free, and enjoying “this very moment” with all one’s heart.
Such thoughts came to me as I stood in front of the Sagrada Família.

The second movement was born from reminiscences of this Spanish trip.
The quintessential form of Spanish performing arts is flamenco. I have attempted to incorporate its powerful dynamism and the rhythms of the stomping feet into music in my own unique style.

Thinking about the historical townscape that has coexisted with nature, and towards the day when Sagrada Família will finally be finished…

To the players of the orchestra:
For these ten minutes, please play around to your heart’s content ― right up to the very moment when the fluttering sounds land gently.

Third Movement ― Architecture is the masterly, correct and magnificent play of masses brought together in light.

Maurice Ravel. Claude Debussy. Erik Satie.
Louis-Hector Berlioz. Gabriel Fauré.
Hermès. Dior. Louis Vuitton. Chanel. Chloé. Yves Saint Laurent.

The influence French art has had on me is immeasurable.
France has always quietly, yet surely, reshaped my values.

The scenery, the sounds, the air I felt against my skin during my travels there.
I fell in love with everything, and it was only natural to want to get to know this beautiful country better.

In France, there exist many buildings that became the foundation of modern architecture such as the Villa Savoye.
The architect who designed these buildings and brought about a ‘revolution’ in the world of architecture was Le Corbusier.

Using features such as pilotis, roof gardens and horizontal windows, he created a “Radiant City” that breathes together with the light.

Apparently, Le Corbusier once said cynically that “I am a musician at heart, but not in reality.”

Unlike music, which is largely a form of entertainment, architecture — designed for the towns and cities where people live — is sometimes described as a “machine for living.”
Probably he too was caught between his free-spirited nature and the rules of society.

“Architecture is the masterly, correct and magnificent play of masses brought together in light.”

What if Le Corbusier, who loved light, art, and revolution, had been a musician?
Now, half a century after his death, I decided to weave a melody that evokes light.

Fourth Movement ― Things beyond the possibility remain in people’s hearts.

Tadao Ando is a leading Japanese architect.
The cluster of art museums on the island of Naoshima in Shikoku are all designed by Mr. Ando.

At the heart of the complex lies the Benesse House Museum, which opened in 1992 as a facility combining an art museum and a hotel, based on the concept of “the coexistence of nature, architecture and art.”

The elegant curves of the building, the natural light streaming through the gaps in the concrete.
Pieces of contemporary art standing quietly around the building, and the breeze blowing in from the sea.
It was all delightful, and my time on Naoshima felt like heaven on earth.

Mr. Ando has won many prizes and awards as an architect.
Remarkably, most of that reputation is down to work he has built up through self-education.

In May 2011, Mr. Ando set up a fund for the orphans of the Great Tohoku Earthquake.
He said after the earthquake:

“Hope is not something that is given to you by others. It is something you create within yourself. I want to tell you to create hope within yourselves and to live without giving up. I believe that everyone needs to practise creating and nurturing hope within themselves right up to the very end of their lives.”

Dear Mr. Ando, I will continue to compose music. I will continue working as a composer.
Believing your words: “Things beyond the possibility remain in people’s hearts.”