YouTube Channel : Masao Yokoyama Music and Instrument

This piece was committed and premiered by J.Kulhan (Cellist, Panocha Quartet, Czech Republic). In 2018 summer at Kusatsu Music Festival, he said to me "Please write a Japanese music for me!". He was so kind to bring the published 50 scores to Japan in his suitcase.

This music was composed for solo cello and string orchestra in 2021. The normal image of nocturne in classical music may be noble and elegant, but the image in this music is a little different I composed in the inspiration of a creepy and holy place such as a temple in the dark forest where ogre and demon exist . I hope t he audience may feel something holy inspiration and irony in this music. This piece was nominated to the final pieces at the A. Schnittke Competition Composers 2021 and premiered by Denys Lytvynenko (Cello), Roman Kr eslenko(Conductor) and KLK String Orchestra in Ukraine, Lviv.

This piece was composed for a concert by my friends held in 2018 in Italy. It is based on the melody of a classic Japanese song  �gKoujou no Tsuki�h  by Rentaro Taki. It incorporates elements from traditional Japanese musical styles such as Gagaku and requires special techniques from the violinist. Its premiere performance was presented in Cremona, Italy, in 2019, by Anja Bukovec (violin, Slovenia) and Marco Brunelli (piano, Italy). 21 Mar, 2019, at Antica locanda il Bissone, Cremona, Italy. Durataion: ca 5:30.

This string quartet is composed based on a style of Japanese old music. I guess the performer and listener feel not only a modern sound but also a nostalgic atmosphere from this piece. "Mura" means a village and "Matsuri" means a festival including ethnic dance in Japanese, respectively. This piece also can be performed as string orchestra adding contrabass part.
1st movement: Lent  Allegro, "At a village in the twilight" The introduction of music gives a languid feeling with semitone and glissando. In contrast, the theme of this movement is the lively and mysterious melody, which expresses people at a village in forest in the twilight before their ceremony.
2nd movement: Andante, "Prayer" The sound like Gagaku (Japanese ancient music) and long viola solo are based on the impression of pray at a shrine and traditional song called "Oiwake".
3rd movement: Allegro vivo, "Bon Odori" This music is based on a dance music called Bon-festival music which is an ethnic summer dance ("Odori") music in Mura-Matsuri in Japan. "Bon" means the summer festival which Japanese people respect and pray their ancestors. In addition, this music of third movement is mixed with Latin rhythm and rock music.