| Takemitsu, Tōru (1930-1996) | Requiem for string orchestra | |
| Mahler, Gustav (1860-1911) | Symphony no. 6 in A minor "Tragic" |
| NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo | |
| Paavo Järvi | Conductor |
NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo perform Takemitsu’s haunting Requiem for strings alongside Mahler’s passionately melancholic Sixth Symphony.
It was Stravinsky who first brought international attention to Takemitsu’s music
after he came across a recording of the Requiem on a visit to Japan in 1959. Its slow, yearning melodies lead into Mahler’s monumental ‘Tragic’ Symphony, known for the three sledgehammer blows in its final movement, which represent the blows of fate. The most traditional of Mahler’s symphonies, it draws listeners into its bleak yet irresistible momentum.
Considered by many to be Japan’s foremost orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1926 and over the years has attracted such illustrious conductors as Herbert von Karajan, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Herbert Blomstedt.