The lecture-recital will begin with a short historical overview of the music written by Japanese composers for Western instruments. The history of these pieces is relatively short and is rooted in the Meiji Restoration of 1868, regarded as the beginning of modern Japan. I will then briefly mention how contemporary Japanese composers reacted to this socio-political change.
Takemitsu does not quite fit into any of the above categories. He brings instead a unique and original approach to his music that gives it a simple yet evocative quality. In order to see how Takemitsu tries to reconcile the Japanese and Western elements in his music, I have chosen a specific piece, *Voice for Solo Flutist* (1971). I will start with a discussion of the piece: spatial notation; the importance of timbre/texture of sounds; use of quarter-tones, glissando effects, and multiphonics; the various new articulation patterns used by the composer; and finally, the use of poetry as text in a purely instrumental piece.
Next, I will discuss some of the performance problems of *Voice.* I have divided these into two categories: technical and interpretational. The technical problems are those where indicated fingerings for multiphonics become problematic, and theoretically feasible passages cannot be played as written. Interpretational problems occur on two levels. On the surface level is the interpretation of the instructions for some of the new articulation patterns required in the piece. Some of these instructions (e.g. "speaking into the instrument") seem clear enough in the abstract, away from the music. But when these special ways of playing appear in the piece itself, the player immediately realizes the ambiguity of these instructions.
This now brings us to the deeper-level interpretation of *Voice* and how the piece, as well as the way it was notated (ambiguities and all), reflect Takemitsu's attitude towards music. Here, based on some of his own writings as well as observations by others, I will present a picture of Takemitsu as a composer - how he tried to reconcile his Japanese heritage in his compositions for Western instruments; and what he tries to achieve in his music. I will also discuss how *Voice,* which at first glance seems to be another twentieth-century composition using extended techniques, is in fact very Japanese, and conclude by presenting the ideas behind my own interpretation of the piece.
Since 1989, Ms. Arai resides in Mexico City where she has appeared as a soloist with the Fine Arts Chamber Orchestra and with La Camerata. Currently, she dedicates herself to chamber music, serving as the flutist of the Mexico City Woodwind Quintet, La Camerata, Trio Avante and Atril 5, and has recorded several compact discs with these groups. Ms. Arai has participated in various important music festivals including the International Cervantino Festival, Contemporary Music Forum and the Franco Donatoni Contemporary Music Festival. Apart from her performance activities, her academic career includes the presentation of lectures and an article published in "Spectrum", a journal of the University of Hartford. Ms. Arai has given flute and general music classes in the State University of New York at Stony Brook, as well as flute and chamber music master classes throughout the Mexican Republic. She is currently a professor at one of the music conservatories in Mexico City.