The Art of the Koto, Vol. 1: Works from the Edo Period

Nanae Yoshimura | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: January 1, 2000
• Label: Celestial Harmonies
• Copyright: 2000 Celestial Harmonies
• Total Length: 54:39
• Genres: International/Far East & Asia
• ASIN: B000QZT18G
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,236 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional clarity, nuance and rare beauty, July 9, 2002

By 

Jeff B Defty (Eugene, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of the Koto, Volume 1 (Audio CD)

I have more than three dozen recordings of traditional Japanese music in my collection, and this is one that stands out for its purity, musicality and outstanding recording quality. Yoshimura's playing is always definitive, subtle and highly nuanced. "Chidori" is particularly beautiful, with the instruments and vocals carefully placed in the stereo field to evoke a strong sense of live presence. If you can only afford one recording of koto music, buy this one.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Reigning King of all Koto CDs, May 29, 2006

By 

Crazy Fox (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Art of the Koto, Volume 1 (Audio CD)

This is without doubt one of the best CDs of Japanese koto music out there; I'd give it six stars if I could. The sound quality is crystal clear, the performances inspired and superb, and the music simply beautiful to hear. Most of the selections on this CD are solid classics, standard pieces in the koto repertoire, so as a long-time fan of the koto I've heard many of them before, but the versions on this disc are such excellent renditions that they really came alive.

In terms of the selection, the first two tracks are compositions by Yatsuhashi Kengyo in the 1600's, and more or less mark the origins of koto music as we know it today. Track three moves us into the 1700's with a work by Mitsuzaki Koto, representing developments in koto music from the Osaka scene of the time. Tracks four and five feature developments during the mid-1800's with the work of Mitsuzaki Kengyo and Yoshizawa Kengyo. Again, all five are classics in their own right.

The liner notes for this album are the most extensive I've ever seen for a CD of Japanese music. It is readily apparent that a lot of work went into them, and one gets a real crash course in koto music from reading it--people new to the koto will learn what they need so as to have a pretty good idea what they're listening to, and people who've loved koto music for ages will still probably learn something new (I sure did, anyway). First the historical context of the music is quickly sketched, and then a succinct description of the instrument and its history (keyed to the music pieces on this disc) is given. Next each track is introduced and explained in fine, loving detail (and the main performer relates her rationale for the selection). Even the lyrics to the vocals on tracks three and five are given: first in the original Japanese (transcribed in romanji), then in a literal word-for-word translation, and then afterwards in a smooth idiomatic English rendition. So few CDs bother to do this; I was happily impressed. Musicological details for the music expert are included, too. Finally, each performer is introduced along with a quick summary of her career.

If you are new to the koto, this is definitely the best CD with which to start. But if you're a long-time koto fan don't pass this excellent CD up just because you already have "Rokudan"--I made that mistake for a while, and I'm glad I changed my mind and gave this CD a try. It will make you fall in love with the koto all over again.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Best Available, June 20, 2006

By 

Edward C. Carpenter (El Paso, Texas) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Art of the Koto, Volume 1 (Audio CD)

The selections on this release are excellent, and the quality of sound is quite good. Yoshimura is talented. At times her performance is somewhat cooler and less inspired than other renderings I have heard. In my opinion, the best recorded koto music is from a Nonesuch Explorer Series LP which never made it to CD format. It's also available as an audio cassette. How unfortunate. Still I recommend looking for it. It's entitled: The Koto Music of Japan, performed by masters Hagiwara, Hatta, Kitagawa, and Kikusui. It is exquisite. Don't be fooled by two releases currently available that have the same title. The other Nonesuch releases by Ensemble Nipponia are also very good.