14 ORIGIN Tōru Takemitsu (1930–1996) remains one of the most internationally recognized postwar Japanese composers. Influenced by French masters such as Debussy and Messiaen, he continually wrestled with how to reconcile Western musical idioms with his Japanese identity. His November Steps (1967), a double concerto for biwa and shakuhachi—two instruments from entirely distinct streams of Japanese tradition—secured his global acclaim. Like Mayuzumi, Takemitsu achieved universality through a profound engagement with his cultural roots. Though Takemitsu wrote no solo pieces for cello, Ueno was so moved by the composer’s unique atmosphere—his organic pacing and sense of stillness—that he sought permission from Takemitsu’s family to create a cello transcription of the composer’s final work, Air (1995), originally for flute. The result is a reinvention: a piece reborn with a powerful, grounded voice distinct from the original.
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