For a long time there’s been a special connection between children’s stories and classical music. I’m thinking of works like Peter and the Wolf and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice – one’s I’m sure you’ve heard of, right? Well what about the story of a band of mischievous, belly-drumming raccoon dogs – have you heard that one? Hi, I’m Loki Karuna, and on this edition of Noteworthy we’re taking a trip to a moonlit forest in Japan, with the help of composer Yasushi Akutagawa.
Yasushi Akutagawa was the son of one of Japan’s most famous literary figures, so a love for storytelling came natural for him. He grew up to become a leading voice in 20th-century Japanese classical music, spanning the very serious, and the very light-hearted. In this work, he tells a story about how magical tanuki, or Japanese raccoon dogs, would gather late at night, puff out their stomachs and use them as drums! The piece of music, and the story that inspired it, is called Shojoji no Harazutsumi.
Throughout his life, Yasushi Akutagawa composed many other works that made classical music accessible and entertaining for audiences of all ages – something not all composers have been able to do. His ability to transform a children’s tale into a really fun timpani feature, alongside all of his other compositions, definitely makes him one of history’s most Noteworthy composers.
Noteworthy is a production of WDAV classical public radio.