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No One Loved Debussy More Than Toru Takemitsu
When Debussy was first exposed to Asian music at the 1889 Paris Exposition, it changed his world for ever – and with it, his music. Many years later, discovering Debussy’s music proved an equally revelatory experience for Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu [pictured]. He recognised something of his own musical spirit in Debussy’s work: its subtle nuances of timbre, its un-Germanic modal harmonies and, above all, its focus on subjects drawn from nature. Takemitsu’s love of Debussy’s music was profound, and its influence was unmistakable in the Japanese composer’s own work. He would later describe this as a “reciprocal action”, following the West’s recognition of an Asian musical tradition that was still young and fragile.
The extent of Debussy’s influence on Takemitsu becomes clear in this edition of Theme.
Playlist
Claude Debussy – La Mer (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Haitink)
Toru Takemitsu – Quotation of Dream (London Sinfonietta, Knussen)
Claude Debussy – Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Haitink)
Toru Takemitsu – From Me Flows What You Call Time (Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Nexus, Carl St. Clair)
Claude Debussy – Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp (Emmanuel Pahud, Marie-Pierre Langlamet, Gérard Caussé)
Toru Takemitsu – And Then I Knew ’T Was Wind (Maria Piccinini, Kim Kashkashian, Sivan Magen)
