森の記憶

The lights were turned down five minutes behind schedule. The Stringraphy Ensemble members were already on the stage in the dark. The silk threads began to play the sounds of chirping birds as the light gradually became brighter. Then'Spring' by Vivaldi began to be heard. During our concerts in France, we mostly played our own original music pieces, so this was our first experience to play the classics, such as works by Vivaldi and Mozart. Our biggest concern about this tour was how the Austrian listeners, who are very familiar with classical music, would react to our performance. In response to thedirector's request, we included classical works and Japanese animation music in our program. Without hesitation, we selected 'The Beautiful Blue Danube' as the last piece in the program, though we were all rather nervous about it. Th e 'Stringraphy' was created by Mizushima only a little over ten years ago; thus, in comparison to instruments like the piano and violin, it still has to be improved upon before it is completed as an instrument. In Japan, many people do not approve of playing the classics on an incomplete instrument. However, as our concert proceeded, we knew that our worries were groundless, for we received thunderous applause from the audience. When the first half of the program was over, we took a short break to tune up. When we returned and began to play our original music, a hush fell over the audience, as the light shining on each player slowly brightened. The blue lights and the soft tones of silk threads slowly and pleasantly pervaded the space. The audience was taken into a strange but familiar world they had never experienced before. The soft tunes gradually became stronger and then harmonized as the music enveloped the entire venue, while also sublimating the atmosphere. The first original musical piece, 'The Shadow of Wings', ended with it's abrupt conclusion. At that instant, a storm of applause was heard from the audience. I felt as if the success of this concert was condensed into that loud applause. When the final piece, 'The Beautiful Blue Danube', was played, most of the listeners had smiles on their faces. Even after we played in response to the second encore, the audience continued to cheer and clap enthusiastically. This Austrian concert was slightly different from the ones we held in France. It allowed all the Stringraphy Ensemble members to reconfirm the pleasure of artistic expression by permitting them to perceive the genuine warmth of an audience that truly loved music. (from the article : 'Austria Concert Report')