常に先端を走り続けてきた前衛作曲家にして、古典から現代までを横断するピアニスト、日本におけるジョン・ケージの紹介者にして、さまざまな企画を手掛けるオーガナイザー。あるいは･･･。

2020年、彼は、神奈川芸術文化財団の芸術総監督就任20周年を迎えた。しかし、この年は一方で、人類がコロナ禍に覆われた点において、忘れがたい年号でもある。不運？いや、この二つが重なったことはある意味で象徴的にも思える。
というのも、これまで音楽と自然のかかわりを考え続けてきた一柳にとって、「作曲」とは、人間社会が自らの脆弱さを乗り越えるための知見を探る行為でもあるからだ。ゆえにToshi伝説、この名のもとに開催される二つの音楽会では、コロナ禍という状況を音楽から照らし出す、きれいごとではすまない空間が現出するに違いない。
まずは神奈川県民ホールにおける管弦楽撰集（2月13日）。冒頭、鈴木優人が「作曲家」として新作のファンファーレを披露したあと、一柳の代表作が3曲。「ビトゥイーン・スペース・アンド・タイム」「循環する風景」はもちろんだが、とりわけ東日本大震災と並行して書かれた「交響曲第8番 リヴェレーション2011」は、現今の状況とどう響きあうのか。
一方、神奈川県立音楽堂で行われるのは「エクストリームLOVE」と題されたマラソン演奏会（3月20日）。第一部では、自身がピアノを担当する「クロイツェル・ソナタ」や武満徹「一柳慧のためのブルーオーロラ」など、一柳慧という存在を形成したさまざまな要素が並べられる。第二部は本條秀慈郎ほか邦楽界の若手ホープをフィーチャー。邦楽器の世界が、実は一柳の隠れた核であることが明らかになろう。そして第三部では、記念碑的なシリーズ「ピアノ音楽1～7」を河合拓始が音響化。予想外のハプニングが起こる気配も･･･。
この2日間に駆けつけた幸運な聴衆は、新たなToshi伝説が爆誕する様子を目の当たりにするはずだ。

沼野雄司（音楽学者／県民ホール・音楽堂 芸術参与）

Who is ICHIYANAGI Toshi?

One might say: an avant-garde composer who has always been on the cutting edge as well as a pianist who traverses both the classical and contemporary genres. The man who introduced John Cage to Japan. An organizer of many, diverse projects. But it that really all?

The year 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of his appointment as Artistic Director of the Kanagawa Arts Foundation. At the same time, it is also unforgettable as the year of the coronavirus pandemic. An unfortunate coincidence? For me, that these two events should overlap seems somehow symbolic. This is because for Ichiyanagi, a composer who has always been concerned with the relation of music to nature, the act of "composition" is a search for knowledge as a way for human society to overcome its own vulnerability. Therefore, each of the two events to be held under the title "Toshi Densetsu" is sure to create a complex experience, going far beyond superficial beauty, illuminating through the prism of music the current situation under the coronavirus pandemic.
The first concert, "Resonant Space", held at the Kanagawa Kenmin Hall is a selection of orchestral works. SUZUKI Masato will kick off the event conducting a fanfare of his own compositionm which will be followed by three of Ichiyanagi's masterpieces: "Between Space and Time", "Circulating Scenery" which features NARITA Tatsuki as the solo violinist, and "Symphony No. 8: Revelation 2011". I am curious ato see how all three pieces, in particular the last one which was written in response to the devastating Great East Japan Earthquake will resonate with the current global situation.
Next, in March, a marathon concert titled "Extreme LOVE" will be held at the Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall. Part One of the concert will feature various pieces that have influenced and shaped the character of Toshi Ichiyanagi, including Beethoven's "Kreutzer Sonata," which Ichiyanagi will perform himself on the piano, and Takemitsu's "Blue Aurora for Toshi Ichiyanagi". Part Two features the shamisen player HONJO Hidejiro and other young talents in the field of traditional Japanese music. It will reveal how the traditional Japanese sound actually consitutes a hidden core of Ichiyanagi's art. In Part Three, Ichiyanagi's monumental series "Piano Music 1-7" will be interpreted by the pianist, improviser, and composer Kawai Takuji. Who is to say that some unexpected happenings will not occur?
I feel certain that anyone lucky enough to attend both events will bear witness to the birth of a new "Toshi legend".

NUMANO Yuji (Professor, Toho Gakuen School of Music; Artistic Adviser, Kanagawa Kenmin Hall and Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall)