Biography

Ichiro NODAIRA

Composer concert pianist and conductor, graduated in composition from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. In 1978, he went to Paris and continued his studies at Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris.

In 1994 he organized Tokyo Sinfonietta, specializing in contemporary music, and he had a position of its first musical director between 1994 and 1999. He performed the world premiere’s works of P.Manoury, G. Benjamin, Y. Matsudaira’s works, G. Ligeti, T. Takemitsu.

To date, Mr. Nodaïra has composed over eighty works for orchestra, opera, chamber ensemble, and solo instruments commissioned by the French Ministry of Culture, the Ensemble Intercontemporain, IRCAM, the Deutche Simfonie Orchester Berlin, the National Theatre of Japan... He composed Fire strings, concerto for electric guitar and orchestra premiered by Steve Vai in 2002, the first opera Madrugada (with a libretto by Barry Gifford), premiered under the baton of Kent Nagano in Germany in 2005, and recently, he composed《Iki-no-michi for saxophone and computer at IRCAM, Paris’s Pompidou Center in 2012.

Mr. Nodaïra has received many prizes: the Otaka Award (1995 and 2013), the Education Minister’s Art Encourage Prize for Freshmen (1996), the Suntory Musical Award (2004), Art Encourage Prize offered by the Ministry of Education and Culture (2005). He received the purple ribbon from the Japanese government in 2012.

Mr. Nodaïra is a professor at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (since 2009). He is also artistic director of the concert hall AOI of Shizuoka city.

Work(s)

" Distorsion du temps "

For orchestra

Lemoine

SÉLECTION 2017

The composition of this piece uses two materials: the beginning of the third movement, and a fragment in the cadenza of the Concerto for piano "Crossing A.I." which was created in the same concert.

Distortion is applied to all sound parameters, especially in the time axis and pitch. This distortion is, in a way, a substitute for the "development" of material. In particular, it is influenced by two technologies, "time stretch" and "pitch shift" in digital audio signals.

It consists of four chained movements.

Ichiro Nodaira

" Triptyque "

for orchestra

Born in 1953 in Tokyo, Ichiro Nodaïra studied composition at the University of Beaux-Arts of Music in Tokyo. In 1978 he received a grant from the french government which allowed him to continue his studies at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Paris where he studied with Henriette Puig-Roget, Betsy Jolas, Serge Nigg, John Koerner and Michel Philippot. After receiving several first prizes in composition, analysis and piano accompaniment, he participated in various courses conducted by György Ligeti (Aix-en-Provence, 1979), Franco Donatoni (Siena, 1982), Peter Eötvös and Brian Ferneyhough (Darmstadt, 1982). In 1985, he participated in the curriculum of computer music at IRCAM.

Since then Ichiro Nodaïra has been leading a dual career as a pianist and composer. In France, he was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, L'Ensemble InterContemporain and IRCAM. His works have been performed in Europe, the United States and Japan by prestigious orchestras. As a pianist, he participated in numerous premieres as a soloist with IRCAM, Intercontemporain ensemble, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the London Sinfonietta, L'ensemble Itinéraire and 2e2m.

From 1994 to 2000, Ichiro Nodaïra is the artistic director of the Tokyo Sinfonietta ensemble. Since 1990 he is professor at the University of Beaux- Arts and Music in Tokyo. Since 2005 he assumes the artistic direction of the salle AOI of the town of Shizuoka. He received the 2004 Suntory Foundation Prize for his lifetime achievements, considered the highest prize in Japan.

His catalog includes about 35 works. With the exception of his Piano Concerto (2001), La corde de feu for electric guitar and large orchestra (2nd version, 2002), resonance Suite for Cello and Orchestra (2006) and his opera Madrugada (2005) his works are mainly written for small formations, chamber orchestra, quintets, quartets (3 string quartets, a saxophone quartet, a quartet for piano, violin, viola and cello), duets and pieces for solo instruments

NOTICE

Triptyque for Orchestra was created on July 13th, 2006 in Tokyo by the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Ryusuke Numajiri.

"This piece, commissioned by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Japan, was composed between February and May 2006. It consists of three movements, entitled "Courbe d'intensité", "Jeu de rhythme" and "Ecarts" which are played without interruption.

The first movement begins with an introduction using the noise produced by the friction of two small harps, a cluster of piano and maracas. The orchestra is introduced gradually. Initially its harmony is envelopped with a very simple intensity : a crescendo and a decrescendo. This form, the intensity curve will be complicated little by little.

The second movement has a scherzando character and virtuosity is sought. The possible diversities of time, beats and rhythms exist successively or at the same time.

The third movement is a study of tone colour, or sounds. Its title, "Ecarts" means the inequality or imbalance of successive tones of sound. This inequality is produced by various combinations of instruments and by the number of performers of each party.

Triptych is the result of pieces recently written, many of which have motifs common to those of Madrugada, my first opera composed in 2005." (Ichiro Nodaïra)

Duration: 25 minutes