I. (1:08) II. (2:16) III. (1:26)
"First Suite" was written for Hamura Third Junior High School Band, Tokyo, in 1993. With the composer's assistance, the group enhanced the new piece and won gold prize at the preliminary Tokyo Ensemble Contest at Nerima Bunka Center on January 16, 1994. It is a short piece for six percussionists in three movements: fast-slow-fast. The first movement features humorous melodies by keyboard instruments. In the second movement, a pastoral melody is played by the Vibraphone, and there is also a beautiful and emotional Marimba solo. The third movement, a thrilling tune in three, is a free variant of the previous movements. This is the first work of Mr. Kaneda's percussion ensemble series. Common instruments are effectively used to realize a rich singing style, and its educational consideration allows beginners to perform.
