KARURA - Concerto for Oboe and Chamber Orchestra（2000）

Karura，the title of this piece，is the name of one of eight god-statues designated as national treasures and enshrined in Kofukuji Temple in Nara. Those eight gods are said to be different in appearance and power from ordinary men and to observe the practice of Buddhism.

Karura is second only to Ashura as the most famous of those eight statues. Its looks are very impressive，with the body of a human，the head of a bird and a large beak closed tightly. I make a habit of visiting Nara and standing in front of the statue every New Year's Eve. I stare at the large beak. The bird-like statue has kept silent for many centuries，during which it has witnessed the life and death of many people. The silence is very heavy. Though I knew I could not write a piece that would stand face to face with the beak，I wanted to talk to the silence and shake it with the oboe，which in my concerto I caused to imitate the voice of the bird with the beak.

The solo part for oboe，requiring a special technique，is very demanding. I put into the orchestral part the images I received from the other seven god-statues.

This piece was commissioned jointly by Izumi Hall，Osaka，Shirakawa Hall，Nagoya，and Kioi Hall，Tokyo，and first performed at Izumi Hall on July 8，2000，by Izumi Sinfonietta Osaka under the baton of Norichika Iimori.

The piece is dedicated to Thomas Indermuhle，an excellent oboist，who played solo at the first performance，and was recorded on the Camerata label (28CM-523).