Six Japanese Gardens
| Six Japanese Gardens | |
|---|---|
| by Kaija Saariaho | |
 Tenju-an Garden, Nanzen-ji | |
| Commissioned by | Kunitachi College of Music[1] |
| Composed | 24 September 1993 – 3 May 1995[1] |
| Dedication | Tōru Takemitsu[1] |
| Publisher | Chester Music[1][2] |
| Movements | 6 |
| Scoring | Percussion, electronics[1] |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 12 July 1995[1] |
| Location | Tokyo (by Shiniti Ueno)[1] |
Six Japanese Gardens is a 1995 musical work for percussion and electronics by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, inspired by her visits to the gardens of Kyoto during the summer of 1993 and her thoughts on rhythm at this time.[1]
Instrumentation
Written for percussionist Shiniti Ueno[1] and as itemized by musicologist Ilkka Oramo, the composition is scored for crotales, suspended cymbal, gongs, log drum, metal plate, tambourine, tam-tam, timpani, triangle, woodblock, and Zen gong, with freer choice of percussion instrument in some sections.[3] Electronics include the filtered voices of crickets and humans, and prerecorded finger cymbals and other percussion.[3]
Movements
Inspired by the Japanese gardens of Kyoto,[4] the composition is in six movements:[1][3]
- Tenju-an Garden of Nanzen-ji Temple
- Many Pleasures (Garden of the Kinkaku-ji)
- Dry Mountain Stream
- Rock Garden of Ryoan-ji
- Moss Garden of the Saiho-ji
- Stone Bridges
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Six Japanese Gardens". Estate of Kaija Saariaho. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
- ↑ "Six Japanese Gardens". Wise Music Group. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Oramo, Ilkka. "Six Japanese Gardens". Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
- ↑ フィンランド音楽特集 展示資料一覧 [Finnish Music Special Collections: List of Materials on Display] (PDF) (in Japanese). Kunitachi College of Music Library. p. 5. Retrieved 12 July 2026.