Just before sunrise is a dimly lit beach, the surroundings are enveloped in a mysterious and fantastical "blue scene." There lies a calm, mist-shrouded sea, and when you turn around and gaze upward, a breathtaking star-filled sky stretches out above. Gradually, the sky begins to take on a reddish hue, and the birds gradually sing. The mist over the sea fades away, and finally, the sun rises over the horizon. As the sun illuminates the sea and the coastline, a stunningly beautiful scene unfolds before your eyes... This piece was written to express through music the natural beauty we often take for granted.
The piece's first half, Misterioso, portrays the mist-covered sea and starry sky before dawn, while the second half, Allegro con brio, represents the rising sun and the sunlight shining upon the sea and coast.
The entire piece is built on three motifs: intervals of [2nd + 3rd (4th)], [3rd + 5th], and conjunct motion. These motifs serve as the foundation upon which the music develops.
There is one more thing I wanted to express through this work. The hints are: "sea," "coastline," "the shift from minor in the first half to major in the second half," and the "dawn" in a spiritual sense. Although I won't specify what that "something" is here, I encourage each performer to think about it for themselves as they play this piece.
(Kazuki Shimoda)
Composer
Kazuki Shimoda
Born in 1992, in Hironoa, Iwate. Since childhood, Shimoda was exposed to various types of music such as fusion and smooth jazz, and played the cornet after joining the school brass band in 4th grade. He joined the wind band and played trumpet in Hirono Town Taneichi Middle School, and then enrolled in Iwate Prefectural Kuji High School where he played euphonium and was appointed as student conductor.
Shimoda became interested in composition during middle school. After graduating high school, he moved to Tokyo to study further, graduating from Shobi College of Music's Composition Course in March 2014.
He studied composition under Yukio Kikuchi, Shinya Takahashi, and Hayato Hirose."Voyage" won an honorable mention in "Student Composition Championship 2013" hosted by [JuCuStage] in 2012.
"Across the City", a saxophone quartet, won an outstanding performance award (2nd) in "Second National Student Composition Championship Tournament" hosted by JuCuStage in 2013.
"Autumn Fantasy" a wind band composition, won best original score (1st) in "5th Japan Academic Society of Wind Music Composition Award" in 2013.
"Beach at Dawn", also a wind band composition, was nominated for the finals in "7th Academic Society of Wind Music Composition Award" in 2015.
"DaJa - 'Nanyadoyara' on a Southern Folk Song" won the 50th [JBA] "Shitaya Award" in 2017.
The wind ensemble piece "Thawing" has won First Prize in the Middle School Band Category of the 2024 Barbara Buehlman Composition Award, organized by The Midwest Clinic.
Currently, he is focusing on composition and arrangement for winds.
Official website of Kazuki Shimoda: Shimoda-Kazuki.net
(Kazuki Shimoda )
