A very different little orchestra
TOKYO SINFONIA CONCERTS
The Tokyo Sinfonia is not like just any ordinary orchestra. The Sinfonia is unique in Japan, offering enjoyable, accessible classical music for both those new to it, and for experts. It is big enough to make a rich and satisfying sound, and compact enough to be cost-effective and portable.
Our entry-level series is the unique Tokyo Sinfonia dinner-concert series at the
Foreign Correspondent's Club of Japan in Yurakucho. Our dinner-concert
Serenades are highly important for attracting an audience of people coming to a classical performance
for the first time. The programmes have attracted many repeaters, many
groups, and many words of praise such as "That was hugely enjoyable"
. We have our Japanese
Serenade in August, followed by an Scandinavian Serenade in November and a
Spanish Serenade in February of 2011.
That is not all we do. Tokyo Sinfonia programmes for musical aficionados include two series at Oji Hall in Ginza and elsewhere: Symphonies for Strings, and Sinfonia Plus. These programmes too draw many repeaters, many groups, and many words of praise.
:: UPCOMING EVENTS :: - September 2010 to March 2011
(scroll down for more information)TOKYO SINFONIA IN SEPTEMBER
STRAUSS SERENADE - Fri. 年9月10日(金) 19:00
Symphonies for Strings champagne concert, Oji Hall (Ginza)
Oji Hall - exclusively for classical music
Oji Hall is a premium class concert hall uniquely located in an elegant and prestigious location right in the heart of Tokyo. Its intimate size fits it perfectly for performances by the String Orchestra.
Oji Hall was designed and constructed exclusively for the performance of concerts of classical music by Japan's largest and oldest paper manufacturer. Oji Paper Company dedicated every effort to excellence in the acoustic design and elegance in the interior of its corporate showpiece. Its intimate size makes it ideally suited for the performances of the 19 strings of the Tokyo Sinfonia.
Go here for a location map for Oji Hall (in Japanese).
Tickets: Group ￥5,500 each; Single ￥6,000
4-concert subscription ¥20,000 includes VIP seating & benefits
TOKYO SINFONIA IN NOVEMBER
SCANDINAVIAN SERENADE - Fri. 11月19日(金) 18:30
FCCJ dinner-concert
Foreign
Correspondents' Club of Japan (Yurakucho)
Go here for a location map for the FCCJ.
TOKYO SINFONIA IN DECEMBER
SIBELIUS SERENADE - Fri. 12月10日(金) 19:00
Symphonies for Strings champagne
concert
Oji Hall (Ginza)
Go here for a location map for Oji Hall.
TOKYO SINFONIA IN JANUARY
MOZART BIRTHDAY SERENADE - Fri. 1月29日(Sat) 19:00
Sinfonia Plus concert
TOKYO SINFONIA IN FEBRUARY
LATIN-AMERICIAN SERENADE - Fri. 2月18日(金) 18:30
FCCJ dinner-concert,
Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ)
in Yurakucho
Go here for a location map for the FCCJ.
TOKYO SINFONIA IN MARCH
TCHAIKOVSKY SERENADE - Fri. 3月11日(金) 19:00
Symphonies for Strings champagne concert, Oji Hall (Ginza)
Go here for a location map for Oji Hall.
:: RECENT PAST EVENTS ::
TOKYO SINFONIA IN AUGUST
JAPANESE SERENADE - Fri. 8月6日(金) 18:30
FCCJ dinner-concert,
Foreign
Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ) in Yurakucho
TOKYO SINFONIA IN JUNE
SAINT-SAENS SERENADE - Fri. 年6月11日(金) 19:00
Symphonies for Strings champagne concert, Oji Hall (Ginza)
TOKYO SINFONIA IN MAY
GERMAN SERENADE - Fri. 5月21日(金) 18:30
FCCJ dinner-concert,
Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (Yurakucho)
Our German Serenade was held on May 21 and was the second time for us to present a German programme in the FCCJ dinner-concert serenades.
We were very pleased to be featuring a number of our Tokyo Sinfonia players as soloists:
Teppei Nakata from the cello section played the solo part of
the Haydn cello concerto. For the solo parts in the Stamitz double
concerto, we had Natsuko Haga from the violin's section and Takashi
Iida from our viola section.
In case you are wondering about our dinner-concert format (or perhaps to
remind you of what you missed), here is the food and music menu of that evening.
The food and music are served alternatively providing an
excellent and enjoyable evening of fine entertainment.
And perhaps even more appealing is the orchestra's positioning (high above the streets of Tokyo on
the FCCJ's 20th floor location) and set against the stunning night time backdrop of the illuminated
Hibya, Kasumigaseki and Marunouchi high rise office buildings reminiscent of the fabulous Manhatten
night skyline.
Surely, romance must be in the air!
| Starter | Terrine of smoked Eisbein, parsley and capers with mustard piccalilli |
Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola & Strings (Stamitz) |
|---|---|---|
| Main | Sautéed salmon with white asparagus, crushed peas, potatoes, turnips and Riesling sauce |
Concerto for Violoncello & Strings (Haydn) |
| Desert | Chocolate Bavarian with cherry compote and gingerbread |
Variations on a Theme of Haydn (Brahms) |
| :: | Coffee/tea) | :: |
SYMPHONIES FOR STRINGS
A new treat in the world of music
The typical concertgoer would be able to cite his favourites from among more than a hundred major symphonic works, but only a small number of favourite works for the string orchestra.
Conductor/composer Gustav Mahler left notations in the margin of his personal score of Schubert's Death and the Maiden quartet. They clearly reveal his vision of this magnificent composition vested with the greater richness and variety of textures of the string orchestra.
Conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein likewise performed the late quartets of Beethoven with full strings for a similar purpose. Schoenberg rescored his own sextet Transfigured Night for string orchestra. Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8 was rescored and published as Symphony for Strings, in which form it enjoys new vigour and life.
Rescoring for a fuller sound
Conductor/composer Robert Rÿker re-scored Death and the Maiden completely to take full advantage of the lush sonorities of the full string orchestra. In this version it has been performed and recorded by string orchestras both large and small, always with great success. Like Mahler and Bernstein, Rÿker then sought other great and seldom performed masterpieces in the chamber repertoire which would lend themselves to similar treatment.
He began with Bruckner's magnificent string quintet of some 40 minutes, virtually unknown, seldom prepared, rarely performed. Finding it ideally suited to the sonorities of the string orchestra, he rescored it with care and craft as Bruckner's Symphony for Strings.
He then extended his search to chamber works of Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schubert and others – especially the rare and even more rarely performed string quintets, so magnificent, so neglected. These are the Symphonies for Strings. They comprise a great addition to the repertoire for string orchestra and a blessing to music, and to the world.