Origin

On my debut CD, Origin, I have chosen to record some of my favorite music by Japanese composers. On the surface level, the title connotes music from my own origin of Japan, but I think the word 'origin' has a deeper meaning in the context of art. Art is born from culture, and culture is born from mankind's innate instincts to feed the mind. Therefore, in a way art is a gateway for us to get in touch with the origin of the human spirit. I do not have the definitive answer to what art music is, but I personally believe that it is the sense of sincere human communication that makes any sound art. As evident of the repertoire I have chosen, which ranges from contemporary concert music to film music and folk song, I believe that art is irregardless of compositional language or complexity. Therefore, it is my hopes that through the music on this CD, I can inspire people to take some time to reflect, and for a moment return to our original human instincts to search for deeper meaning in life. -Eriko Daimo Performers: Eriko Daimo, Johan Bridger(2&5), Patrick Raab(2&5), Ronni Kot Wenzell(5) Photography and Artwork: Gian Andrea di Stefano Producer: Tobias Brostrom & Patrick Raab Recorded at the Copenhagen Opera House Program Note: Rain/ Ryuichi Sakamoto arr. Eriko Daimo One of my most favorite movies is The Last Emperor, which focuses on the life of Puyi, the last Emperor of China. The reason why I was initially drawn to the film was because Mr. Ryuichi Sakamoto was one of three composers for the movie's soundtrack. The title, Rain, is from the scene where the second wife of Puyi decides to divorce him. The scene depicts her screaming, 'I want a divorce!', then slips the divorce papers under the door and runs outside into the rain. This was an extremely powerful moment of the film for me, and I was touched by how perfectly the music captures the rain and the anguish of the princess's decision. Therefore, I immediately wanted to play this music on the marimba. The source of my solo marimba arrangement were Mr. Sakamoto's initial orchestral version, and also piano duo arrangement and piano/violin/cello arrangement by Mr. Sakamoto himself. (Eriko Daimo) Rain Tree for 3 percussion players/ Toru Takemitsu 'Rain tree' was composed as part of my 'Rain' series. This short musical sketch was inspired by my reading the following sentences from 'Atama no ii Ame no Ki'(The Ingenious Rain Tree), a story by the well-known Japanese author, Kenzaburo Oe. 'It is called the 'Rain Tree' because it seems to make it rain. Whenever it rains at night, throughout the following morning the tree makes drops fall from all it's richly growing leaves. While the other trees quickly dry out after the rain, the Rain Tree, because it's leaves, no bigger than fingertips grow so closely together, can store up raindrops in it's leaves. Truly an ingenious tree!' This work is not intended to be a musical portrayal of a mere physical condition, but a metaphor for the water which is continually circulating throughout the universe. It is dedicated to Kenzaburo Oe and Sylvio Gualda, the French percussionist. (Toru Takemitsu) The Source for Solo Marimba/ Toshi Ichiyanagi The Source was inspired by the virtuoso African percussionist Kakraba Lobi who is a close friend of mine whom I deeply respect. Lobi had performed numerous times at the 'Music in Museum', an event I used to produce which was held at the former Seibu Museum of Art, later known as the Sezon Museum of Art. When Lobi performs