Nishimura, Akira

Akira Nishimura

Biography

Born: September 08, 1953

Country: Japan

Studies: Tokyo University of Fine Arts (1977/80)

Teachers: Tomojirô Ikenouchi, Akio Yashiro, Teruyuki Noda, M. Mamiya

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Mr. Nishimura was born in Osaka 1953. He studied composition and musical theory to post graduate level at Tokyo University of the Arts. In 1977 he won the first of his numerous later prize winnings at the Queen Elizabeth International Music Composition Competition with HETEROPHONY for string quartet (1975) and the Luigi Dallapiccola Composition Award with MUTAZIONI (1977). In 1980 KECAK (1979) was selected as the best work at the International Rostrum of Composers, and he won awards at the ISCM World Music Days with ODE for EKSTASIS (1981) in 1982, then in 1984, 1988 and 1990. The Otaka Prizes were awarded to him in 1988 for HETEROPHONY for two pianos and orchestra(1987), in 1992 for A RING OF LIGHTS, double concerto for violin, piano and orchestra, and in 1993 for INTO THE LIGHTS OF THE ETERNAL CHAOS. In 2001, he was awarded the ExxonMobil Music Prize and in 2004, the Suntory Music Award. He was composer-in-residence of the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa (1993-94) and of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra (1994-97). Nishimura principally employs heterophony, a characteristic device of Asian traditional music, thereby subtly transforming the intervals, rhythm and melody of his dense multi-layered textures. Though similar to ‘micropolyphony’ of Ligeti, an Asian perspective informs his technique. Some works are heterophonic melodically, such as HETEROPHONY (1975), and some rhythmically, as in KECAK; the superimposition of trills, tremolos and harmonics contributes to the more complex textures of his later works.

He has been commissioned from many overseas music festivals and ensembles such as ULTIMA Contemporary Music Festival Oslo, Octobre en Normandie, Arditti Quartet, Kronos Quartet, ELISION Ensemble, Hannover Society of Contemporary Music and so on. In 2019, Opera “Asters” a new production, commissioned by the New National Theatre, Tokyo was a great success. He is currently a Professor at the Tokyo College of Music and the Musical Director of the Izumi Sinfonietta Osaka, Kusatsu International Summer Music Academy & Festival.

Works for Percussion

Solo Works

Duologue (Nishimura) - for Timpani and Piano (1996)
Improvisation (Nishimura) - for Marimba (2001)
Water Voice - for Marimba and Piano (2001)
Three Fragments of Piya - Marimba
Prelude to Nataraja - for Marimba and Piano (2004)
Pundarika - Multiple Percussion

Chamber Ensemble Works

Ektãl - 5 Players
Himorogi - 2 Players
Kecak - 6 Players
Kitora - 8 Players
Legong - 6 Players
Mãtra - 7 Players
Padma in Meditation - 6 Players
Penta - 5 Players
Seishin-Kagura - 8 players
Tãla - 6 Players
Yantra - 6 Players

Solo with Ensemble Works

Kãla - for solo Marimba; Percussion Sextet
Concerto for solo Timpani & 5 Percussionists - Timpani and Percussion Quintet

Other Instruments with Percussion Ensemble Works

Mana II - Mezzo Soprano; Percussin Quintet
Mirror of the Moon - Yokobue; Percussion Sextet