Isotaro Sugata: Symphonic Overture; Peaceful Dance of Two Dragons; The Rhythm of Life; Dancing Girl in the Orient

I. Sugata (Composer), Kazuhiko Komatsu (Conductor), Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Kazuhiko Komatsu
• Composer: I. Sugata
• Audio CD (February 26, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B0012CJ77C
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #233,657 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lost and Found, March 13, 2008

By 

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

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Isotaro Sugata: Symphonic Overture; Peaceful Dance of Two Dragons; The Rhythm of Life; Dancing Girl in the Orient (Audio CD)

Naxos has been introducing classical music by Japanese composers to the world for a while now, but this is surely one of their odder introductions. Imagine your debut album being released more than half a century after your death. But that was to be the fate of Sugata Isotaro, who began studying music in the late 1920's and became rather well-respected and famous as a composer by the mid-1930's only to slip into obscurity due to the societal upheavals surrounding World War II and his subsequent decision to remain in the countryside away from Tokyo. Some of the pieces on this album were performed but never recorded until now, while others are actually being preformed here for the very first time after having been found and retrieved by his family as late as 1999. Better late than never.

The music itself is excellent, satisfyingly complex as modern classical music should be but also imminently listenable unlike some of the more avant-garde trends of that century. "Symphonic Overture" is a stirring work very much at home with classical music's European antecedents, while "Peaceful Dance of Two Dragons" shows Sugata masterfully integrating influences from premodern Japanese music, primarily in the style of courtly Gagaku. "The Rhythm of Life" is a personal reflection on his musical career and artistic growth, sampling snatches of melody from various pieces by Stravinsky and Japanese folk songs in an unusual manner, while "Dancing Girl in the Orient" is a thoroughly original piece very evocative and atmospheric in mood and most approachable musically.

The liner notes for this album are extensive as is dependably usual for Naxos, and they do a fine job of introducing the composer along with his life and career before describing the date and occasion of each track and analyzing it in painstakingly precise musicological detail. This is always a plus, but is especially important and helpful in the case of a composer like Sugata who has been unfairly buried in obscurity by the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, as it were. So at long last, let's lend him our ears.

4.0 out of 5 stars A variable, but overall fascinating release, August 8, 2011

By 

G.D. (Norway) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Isotaro Sugata: Symphonic Overture; Peaceful Dance of Two Dragons; The Rhythm of Life; Dancing Girl in the Orient (Audio CD)

This is a varied and variegated portrait of an interesting composer. Isotaro Sugata (1907-1952) developed an eclectic, even derivative style, and though my knowledge of traditional Japanese music is limited I strongly suspect that his Japan-influenced works exhibit something of a picture-postcard version. That said, it is undeniably extremely effective and quite captivating. Not all of the works here exhibit any Japanese influence, however, and the ones that don't are admittedly not particularly rewarding.

The Symphonic Overture is an example. It appears to attempt to fuse Respighi's orchestral palette with (Sugata's teacher) Hindemith in benign mode, and the result verges on plagiarism. It is a rather boring work with few redeeming qualities and I would understand why anyone sampling this track would decide to pass over this disc. The Rhythm of Life does contain Japanese folk melodies, but they are treated in the manner of early Stravinsky (in fact, Sugata shamelessly borrows from him) and it comes across as something that could have been written by any second-rate European composer of the early twentieth century. It nevertheless contains some interesting and effective ideas, and I suppose it is worth hearing.

The fun begins with Peaceful Dance of Two Dragons, however. There's still plenty of Stravinsky and Bartók, of course, but the work is wonderfully atmospheric, finely scored, fascinating and memorable. The same goes for Dancing Girl in the Orient - Russian Silver Age imbued with Japanese folk melodies with very attractive results; pure pastiche, but nevertheless beguiling and absorbing. None of the music on this disc is out to change the face of music history, but if you don't restrict your musical tastes to the most revolutionary masterpieces you'll find plenty to enjoy here. The performances are colorful and spirited if a tad reticent (perhaps) in the non-Japanese sounding music, and the sound is fine (a tad constricted but not really objectionable). In short, this is an overall enjoyable collection even if it adds up to a rather short program (especially if you take away the worthless Symphonic Overture). Definitely worth looking into.