MOROI: Symphony No. 3, Op. 25 / Sinfonietta, Op. 24 / Two Symphonic Movements, Op. 22. Naxos 8.557162
- Conductor(s): Yuasa, Takuo
- Orchestra(s): Ireland National Symphony Orchestra
Considered by many to be the greatest Japanese symphonist, Saburo Moroi wrote five symphonies, the best known of which is the often harrowing No. 3, completed just before the composer was called up towards the end of World War II. With its violent depiction of the fever of war, soulful meditation on the land of the dead, and an overall structure and sound that recalls Beethoven, Franck, Bruckner and Shostakovich, Symphony No. 3 represents the pinnacle of Moroi’s creative power. The Two Symphonic Movements teem with extraordinarily motoric and dynamic development, not unlike the best examples of Hindemith.
User Review
"A Japanese composer deserving of much more attention – This is without a doubt one of the finest discs available in Naxos's JAPANESE CLASSICS series. Saburo Moroi was a well-known composer in his day, but after the Second World War he composed little and fell into obscurity. Apparently considered by many to be the finest symphonist in Japanese history, the German-trained Moroi was indeed a true musical talent and this Naxos recording aptly demonstrates this.
The SINFONIETTA IN B FLAT (1943) is a somewhat lighthearted composition, but tuneful and well-orchestrated. Intended as music for children, this SINFONIETTA is a pleasing work that sounds as if it could have been composed by a European in the tradition of Saint-Saens. The final movement is the most Asian sounding, however, and makes use of pentatonic scales.
TWO SYMPHONIC MOVEMENTS (1942) comes next, and this work is a big crowd-pleaser featuring powerful orchestration and rhythmic drive. When listening to these, I am personally reminded of the music of Samuel Barber or maybe Jean Sibelius. Moroi's SYMPHONY NO. 3 (1944) ends the recording, and is a splendid piece. Again, it is melodic and richly orchestrated; if I didn't know any better, I'd think it was film music; it has a wonderful epic scope. Written in 1944 just before the war's end, this work is expresses Moroi's anguish over the horrific international conflicts of the time. The third and final movement of the symphony is the most striking; with a certain Mahlerian heaviness, the movement begins somberly but works its way up to an absolutely gut-wrenching but optimistic climax in tutti, complete with organ.
Fellow Japanese Takuo Yuasa leads a brilliant National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland on this disc, and the sound engineering is marevellous. I repeat, this is one of the best recordings available in Naxos's JAPANESE CLASSICS series…highly recommended! Erik Homenick