pul.se results for Matsue

The Japan Times: All Stories

2010-02-22 20:41:00 GMT

MATSUE, Shimane Pref. (Kyodo) The governor of Shimane Prefecture called on the public Monday to pay more attention to the sovereignty dispute over a group of South Korean-controlled islets in the Sea of Japan.
Zenbe Mizoguchi said galvanizing public support at the national level is "absolutely necessary" to settle the issue in Japan's favor. He made the remark at a ceremony for the fifth Takeshima Day, which the prefecture has set aside each year to promote Japan's claim to the islets.

The Japan Times: News & Business

2010-02-22 20:26:00 GMT

Wash Post The District

Post — 2010-02-18 05:00:00 GMT

Feb. 18 NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conductor James Gaffigan leads the orchestra and pianist Denis Matsuev in Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 and Auerbach's "Requiem for Icarus." Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m. Kennedy Center, Concert Hall, 2700 F St....

DCist

Charles Downey — 2010-02-14 15:15:11 GMT

Conductor Mariss Jansons

This week, listeners can see for themselves how the area's hometown orchestras, all featured below, measure up against the orchestra considered by many to be the finest in the world. Also, a months-long festival of American music -- with lots of free concerts to hear -- kicks off this weekend.

BATTLE OF THE ORCHESTRAS:
>> Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra often appears at or near the top of lists of the world's best orchestras. Its biennial appearances in Washington, hosted by the Washington Performing Arts Society, are generally some of the best concerts one can hear. The group returns for a concert tomorrow in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall (February 15, 8 p.m.), with Mariss Jansons conducting Rachmaninov's second symphony, as well as Dutch violinist Janine Jansen playing Sibelius's violin concerto. Prepare yourself today by listening to ten of the orchestra's past performances of complete symphonies, made available for free download at their Web site.

>> Guest conductor James Gaffigan, a "conductor to watch" according to reliable sources, gets his turn at the revolving podium of the National Symphony Orchestra this week (February 18 to 20), also in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. The all-Russian program features music by Lera Auerbach, one of my favorite living composers, as well as Tchaikovsky (yet another performance of the fourth symphony) and Rachmaninov's soupy second piano concerto. Russian virtuoso Denis Matsuev will certainly not disappoint as soloist.

>> We would guess that the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will fall to the bottom of this competition, with Itzhak Perlman as guest conductor of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings and Beethoven's fifth symphony. He will also serve as soloist, with the BSO's oboist, in Bach's concerto for violin and oboe. The Strathmore performance is on Saturday night (February 20, 8 p.m.).

>> Don't count the University of Maryland Symphony out, certainly not in terms of interesting repertory, which makes their concert Saturday night at Clarice Smith Center (February 20, 8 p.m.) very interesting. Cellist Evelyn Elsing takes the solo part in Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante, and soprano Linda Mabbs and baritone Jason Stearns will take part in a rare performance of Alexander Zemlinsky's Lyric Symphony.

AMERICAN MUSIC:
>> As it approaches its 20th season, Vocal Arts Society has organized a major festival, America Sings in the Nation's Capital, devoted to the championing of American song. The best part of the concept is that many of these concerts are free, beginning this Friday at the Library of Congress with a concert of American music by Tapestry and Friends (February 19, 8 p.m.).

>> The free concerts of American music continue on Saturday with a recital by soprano Brooke Evers and pianist Grace Cho at Bethesda's Westmoreland Congregational Church (February 20, 7 p.m.) and an intriguing recital of music by Washington-based composers performed by Washington's own character tenor Robert Baker at the Phillips Collection (February 21, 4 p.m.). The latter is free with the price of admission to the museum.

ALSO FREE:
>> Stephen Ackert will narrate an unusual program featuring pianist Miceal O'Rourke playing music by Debussy, as part of the free Sunday concert series at the National Gallery of Art next Sunday (February 21, 6:30 p.m.).

FURTHERMORE:
>> Organist Jeremy Filsell, who will soon be welcomed as Artist-in-Residence at Washington National Cathedral, will perform a recital on both piano and organ this Saturday (February 20, 4 p.m.) at Silver Spring's Spencerville Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

>> Members of the Choral Arts Society (hopefully not too many of them!) will perform selections of Renaissance polyphony and Heinrich Schütz's Musikalische Exequien on Saturday (February 20, 8 p.m.) on the Dumbarton Concerts series.

>> The Cathedral Choral Society gets an early start on the Lenten season of Passion performances, with Bach's celebrated St. Matthew Passion, next Sunday (February 21, 4 p.m.) at Washington National Cathedral.

>> For more concert information, go to Ionarts.

Artes. Noticias, vídeos y fotos de Artes en lainformacion.com

2010-02-07 13:38:50 GMT

SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 7 (EUROPA PRESS)

El Festival de Música de Canarias se despide hoy en el Auditorio de Tenerife de su vigésimo sexta edición con la Orquesta Nacional Rusa como protagonista, dirigida por su fundador y director titular Mikhail Pletnev.

Las obras elegidas para despedir el ciclo de 2010 tienen como eje central a la música de Dimitri Shostakovich (1906-1975), seleccionando para la ocasión la Suite del ballet El Perno y su Novena Sinfonía, obra con la que se clausura el Festival. Además, la formación rusa y su director, acompañados al piano por Denis Matsuev, ejecutarán el Concierto para piano nº 2, de Rajmaninov, abriendo la velada la Obertura Rusa de Golovanov, informó el Gobierno canario en un comunicado de prensa.

Como director de orquesta, Golovanov se caracterizó por la interpretación de dos compositores malditos para el régimen comunista: Alexander Scriabin y Sergei Rajmaninov, en los que encontraba ese toque de misticismo con el que Golovanov gustaba de relacionar el fenómeno musical.

Golovanov logró ocupar varios cargos de confianza en las instituciones musicales de la Urss, por ejemplo en la Ópera del Bolshoi. Sin embargo, el músico fue expulsado por decisión expresa de Stalin tras empeñarse en mantener al cantante judío Mark Reizen al frente del reparto de Boris Godunov. No obstante, otras fuentes apuntan a que el despido tuvo causas más objetivas, entre ellas el fracaso en algunas producciones operísticas y sus modales autoritarios y hasta paranoicos en la dirección de orquesta.

Su música, entre ellas la Obertura Rusa, es fiel reflejo de su concepción de lo musical como una efusión de sonoridad y vehemencia, en la que está presente el toque nacionalista a través de una épica que, remotamente, recuerda a la Obertura 1812 de Chaikovski.

Music: Classical music | guardian.co.uk

Andrew Clements — 2010-02-05 00:25:01 GMT

(Mariinsky)

When it launched last year with an outstanding recording of Shostakovich's opera The Nose, the Mariinsky label seemed as if it was going to make available some genuinely important performances of the repertory that Valery Gergiev and his company have been exploring now for almost two decades – recordings of the Rimsky-Korsakov operas that were not included in Gergiev's series for Philips, perhaps, or Russian rarities such as Rubinstein's The Demon. What has been issued subsequently, though, has been far less adventurous, and this latest Rachmaninov disc is distinctly run of the mill. Denis Matsuev's piano playing is often admired, but always seems to me to be short on personality, and that lack of individuality is a serious flaw in both the Third Piano Concerto and the Paganini Rhapsody. The opening of the concerto is so lacking in presence, or in any sense of what is about to unfold, that attention begins to wander within seconds, and though Matsuev has all the technique he needs to muscle his way through the huge first-movement cadenza, the performances rarely come to life elsewhere.

Rating: 2/5

Andrew Clements

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Artes. Noticias, vídeos y fotos de Artes en lainformacion.com

2010-02-04 15:55:00 GMT

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.- El director y fundador de la Orquesta Nacional Rusa, Mikhail Pletnev, ha considerado hoy "muy buena" la acústica de los auditorios Alfredo Kraus, en la capital grancanaria, y Santa Cruz de Tenerife, así como la evolución de las salas de audición en España en los últimos veinte años.

Pletnev, que ofrecerá los conciertos de clausura de la 26 edición del Festival de Música de Canarias (el primero de los cuales será esta noche en el Auditorio Alfredo Kraus), ha agradecido también su participación en el mismo, pues ha considerado que se trata de un encuentro musical de grandes orquestas y músicos.

Un festival que además es seguido por público español y no turístico, lo cual le ha sorprendido gratamente, según ha manifestado en una rueda de prensa ofrecida en la capital grancanaria.

El director, pianista y compositor dirigirá a la Orquesta Nacional Rusa, formada por nuevas generaciones de músicos con "muy buenas garantías" y por intérpretes de más experiencia, y al pianista ha indicado Pletnev.

La orquesta interpretará en la primera parte del programa la "Sinfonía Nº 4", de Tanayev, considerada por su compositor como la primera por ser la más completa y cuyo adagio del segundo movimiento se interpretó en su entierro, en 1915, ha comentado Pletnev, quien además lo definió como "una gran figura" con la que se formaron Rachmaninov y de Prokofiev.

Éste último escribió en su diario que una vez coincidió con Tanayev en un tren de San Petesburgo a Moscú y que el rato que departió con él aprendió más que en todas las horas que estudió en el conservatorio, ha indicado Pletnev.

En la segunda parte del concierto, la orquesta interpretará la "Sinfonía Número 1", de Shostakovich, mientras que "La Obertura Rusa", de Golovanov, que en un principio figuraba para hoy, se ha trasladado a mañana para que el programa no resulte demasiado denso, según ha explicado el representante de la Orquesta Nacional Rusa, Carlos Crespo, quien ha añadido que ha motivado otros cambios en el orden de las piezas a interpretar.

Así, el programa del segundo concierto de mañana comenzará con "La Obertura Rusa"; continuará con el "Concierto para Piano y Orquesta Número 2", de Rachmaninov, que interpretará el pianista Denis Matsuev como solista; y seguirá en la segunda parte con la Suite para Ballet "El Perno" y la "Sinfonía Número 9", de Shostakovich.

Ambos programas se repetirán de nuevo los días 6 y 7 en el Auditorio de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, una sala conocida para Pletnev, pues ofreció un concierto de piano junto a la Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife en su inauguración en 2006.

El director del Instituto Nacional de las Artes Escénicas y de la Música (INAEM), Félix Palomero, asistirá a la clausura del festival, según ha informado hoy su directora, Candelaria Rodríguez, quien ha subrayado que se trata de una presencia "significativa", ya que el Ministerio de Cultura formará parte de su futura fundación.

Artes. Noticias, vídeos y fotos de Artes en lainformacion.com

2010-02-04 16:12:50 GMT

SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 4 (EUROPA PRESS)

El Festival de Música de Canarias ha comunicado en una nota que los conciertos que ofrecerá la Orquesta Nacional Rusa, dirigida por Mikhail Pletnev, hoy y mañana en el Auditorio Alfredo Kraus de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria; y los días 6 y 7 en el Auditorio de Tenerife, sufrirán una pequeña modificación en el programa previsto.

Este cambio ha sido adoptado por decisión técnica de la formación rusa, invirtiendo el orden de las obras del primer y segundo concierto, además de trasladar la interpretación de la Obertura Rusa de Golovanov, prevista inicialmente en el primer programa, a la segunda audición de los días 5 y 7, quedando la programación de la siguiente forma:

Orquesta Nacional Rusa; director, Mikhail Pletnev; Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 4 de febrero; Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 6 de febrero; S. Taneyev: Sinfonía nº 4; D. Shostakovich: Sinfonía nº 1.

Orquesta Nacional Rusa; director, Mikhail Pletnev; Denis Matsuev, Piano; Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 5 de febrero; Santa cruz de Tenerife, 7 de febrero; N. Golovanov: Obertura Rusa; S. Rajmaninov: Concierto para piano nº 2; D. Shostakovich: Suite del Ballet El Perno, Sinfonía nº 9.

Running like my life depends on it!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy - Rat Race Runner) — 2010-02-01 16:31:00 GMT

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Yahoo! Answers: Latest Questions

2010-01-30 23:46:20 GMT

Yahoo! Answers: Latest Questions

2010-01-28 23:12:14 GMT

I wanna know what it is that Tsuzuki say's when he is summining Byakko and the others so that I can remeber it for the up 'n coming Convention.

The Japan Times: All Stories

2010-01-23 20:54:00 GMT

Just 20 km east of Matsue, the impressive collection of paintings and ceramics at the Adachi Museum of Art in Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture, is at risk of being upstaged by its six superlative landscaped gardens.
The museum and its surrounding horticultural wonders await visitors today thanks to three men: an art epicure, a painter and a master landscape gardener.

Fil de presse - Le Devoir

Christophe Huss — 2010-01-16 05:00:00 GMT

S'il s'agissait de faire des pronostics sur les événements musicaux en puissance, le concert à la Place des Arts, le 14 mars, de Denis Matsuev, et de l'Orchestre du Mariinski dirigé par Valery Gergiev serait à considérer en première ligne. Ils joueront notamment le 3e Concerto de Rachmaninov et, pour ceux qui ne le connaissent pas, disons que Matsuev est un virtuose plus impressionnant encore que Lang Lang...

Twitch

2010-01-13 13:17:00 GMT

AnimEigo has released a new Region 1 DVD of Hideo Gosha's Onimasa - A Japanese Godfather (Kiryûin Hanako no shôgai). The English title of Gosha's film, which was released in 1982 by Toei Studios, is an obvious attempt to invoke a certain set of works by Francis Ford Coppola. Onimasa has virtually nothing in common with those Mafia masterpieces. In truth, the film is a bloody epic drama that laces its story of an early 20th century Yakuza leader with a heavy dose of contemporary sleaze.

Tatsuya Nakadai plays Masagoro Kiryuin (aka Onimasa), who is the egotistical head of a small-time Yakuza gang. Onimasa's chivalrous self-image is contradicted by his criminal activities, and his desire to sleep with most any woman who isn't his wife (Shima Iwashita). One fateful day, Onimasa pays a visit to the Shirai home in order to adopt some children. He picks Hiraku and his sister Matsue (played by Nobuko Sendô as a girl and Masako Natsume as an adult). The boy eventually runs away, but Matsue stays in Onimasa's house. She is put in charge of "tending" him, and bears witness to the turmoil of the Kiryuin house, including disease, revenge, death, and Onimasa's increasingly weird behavior.

The film's sprawling multi-decade plot features scads of characters and branches off in numerous directions. The story is told from the parallel perspectives of Onimasa and Matsue. Onimasa is crazy, deluded, and somewhat good natured. Matsue is smart and independent, but unable to escape Onimasa's emotional and physical grip. This creates a tension is presented between Onimasa's pretense of chivalry and his efforts to stifle Matsue's attempts to expand beyond life in the Yakuza family. Although the film focuses on the lives of these two characters, there is no doubt that Tatsuya Nakadai is the lead. He delivers a swaggering performance that occasionally slips into histrionics. His mugging, posturing, and yelling do match the character fairly well. In comparison, Masako Natsume gives an even and reserved performance that gets across the tragic nature of her character.

Stylistically, Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather is all over the map. The film's meshing of contemporary elements with a period setting is oddly compelling. The opening scene shows men in color-coordinated Yakuza gowns pulling Onimasa's rickshaw. Instead of classical Japanese music, the scene is set to a disco number with swirling strings. A Morricone-style score (complete with a woeful harmonica motif) solidifies the impression that Onimasa isn't shooting for complete fidelity to the time period in which it is set.

The film also has an exploitation undercurrent with plenty of sex and violence. This adds a bit of spice, but occasionally undermines the film's serious tone. The most egregious example involves a feud between Onimasa and another Yakuza boss (played by Ryohei Uchida). The feud arises from a dog fight. The fight in question is real and is presented on screen. Dogs are shown biting and mauling each other with blood splattering all over the ground. The scene is absolutely essential to the plot, and organized dog fighting is a long-standing activity in some parts of Japan. However, showing dogs hurting each other adds nothing to the story.

Audio and visual options on AnimEigo's DVD are plentiful. This anamorphic widescreen transfer of the film is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Original and restored Japanese language Dolby Digital 2.0 audio tracks are included. Thee original track contains an analog hiss that is not present in the restored audio.

Viewers can choose between yellow or white English subtitles. AnimEigo continues its practice of using different colored subtitles to help viewers differentiate the dialogue. Explanatory annotations, which are optional and appear in the black matting at the top of the screen, are also provided. Program notes, biographies, an image gallery, and multiple trailers for Onimasa and two other Hideo Gosha films (The Wolves and The Geisha) round out the extras.

Cosplay Holic

許・美美 (Kurohiko@gmail.com) — 2010-01-08 23:00:00 GMT

The Guardian of the East and Representative of the Golden Emperor of GensouKai, Souryuu is the blue dragon and the strongest among all the Shikigami. The only one who could match his rank and strength is Kurikara, the Fire Dragon. Souryuu has two children: his son, Koujin the thunder shikigami, and his daughter, Tenko the water shikigami.

Too bad Souryuu doesn't like Hisoka very much. In any case, this is such a beautiful cosplay! The patterns are gorgeous and they look really expensive too! Great work! Thanks to Lilibelle for sending this in!

Technorati tags: cosplay, holic, cosplayer, costume, role, play, roleplay, anime, manga, yami, no, matsuei, souryuu, koujin, tenko, guardian, east, representative, golden, emperor, gensoukai, blue, dragon, strong, shikigami, rank, strength, kurikara, fire, children, son, thunder, daughter, water, kurosaki, hisoka, beautiful, pattern, gorgeous, expensive, lilibelle

The Maui News

2009-12-25 18:15:02 GMT

OLOWALU - With Christmas drawing near, Matsue Fujii, 97, has abandoned her morning yardwork in favor of wrapping presents. She stands at the kitchen table, working her way down a handwritten gift list, as she wraps handmade crocheted doilies and boxes of chocolates for each of the family's tenants.

Audiophile Audition Headlines

2009-12-25 02:30:10 GMT

Denis Matsuev: The Carnegie Hall Concert = SCHUMANN: Kinderszenen, Op. 15; LISZT: Piano Sonata in B Minor; PROKOFIEV: Piano Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, Op. 83; LIADOV: The Musical Snuff Box, Op. 32; SCRIABIN: Etude in D-sharp Minor, Op. 8, No. 12; GRIEG: In the Hall of the Mountain King (arr. Ginzburg) - Denis Matsuev, piano - RCA 88697291462, 78:35 ****: The Carnegie Hall recital (17 November 2007) of Russian pianist Denis Matsuev (b. 1975) reveals another young virtuoso--and winner of...

The Moscow Times

2009-12-16 21:00:00 GMT

Matsuev, who plays with the Russian National Orchestra on Dec. 22, is considered one of the world's best pianists.

DeafRead - Best of Deaf Blogs

Deaf Japan News — 2009-12-14 11:28:41 GMT

The Deaf child (right) attempts to communicatein English with the use of sign language.(photo: www.sanin-chuo.co.jp)The foreign language activity will be required to take place at the elementary schools nationwide in fiscal year 2011.The Matsue School for the Deaf in Shimane Prefecture, which has participated in the practice research, held the research workshop on for...

christmas « WordPress.com Tag Feed

mattie14 — 2009-12-12 20:34:54 GMT

December 12, 2009 Japanese’s Matsue Vogel Park aquarium: Christmas cheer waddles in with five

Cosplay Holic

許・美美 (Kurohiko@gmail.com) — 2009-12-09 16:44:00 GMT

The 16-year-old Shinigami who is Tsuzuki’s current partner, Hisoka possesses strong empathy which allows him to feel and see the thoughts and memories of others, even pick up imprints of clairvoyance off inanimate objects. He is much weaker compared to his partner, but he is a capable detective and clever in subterfuge. Chief Konoe has also trained him in basic ofuda and defensive magic.

Poor child… I would write about his history, but it’s a bit on the gruesome side. Really great job on this! I only wish they had finished the manga so we know how the story ended.

Technorati Tags: nanao, cosplay, research, yami, no, matsuei, kurosaki, hisoka, tsuzuki, asato, possess, empathy, feel, seed, thought, emotion, memory, other, imprint, clairvoyance, inanimate, object, weak, partner, capable, detective, clever, subterfuge, chief, konoe, train, basic, ofuda, defense, magic, history, gruesome, side, manga, story, end, anime

Nanao's Cosplay Research

Nanao-Chan — 2009-12-09 16:44:00 GMT

Christmas News

2009-12-08 11:36:11 GMT

Japan's Matsue City has found an unusual way to celebrate the build up to Christmas, a daily 'Santa parade' in a local park, featuring five African penguins in Santa Claus costumes.

christmas-news « WordPress.com Tag Feed

joomee — 2009-12-08 02:11:37 GMT

Japan’s Matsue City has found an unusual way to celebrate the build up to Christmas, a daily

360 Cities

2009-12-07 12:37:18 GMT

Panoramic photo by H. Adi Saputra.

This is Matsumoto Castle in Matsumoto City in Nagano prefecture, Japan. Matsumoto Castle is one of the original remaining castle in Japan and is a National treasure. Other remaining castle included the Matsue Castle in Matsue City Shimane prefecture, or the Himeji Castle in Okayama prefecture. This castle still have its wooden construction, unlike many other castles destroyed by fire during the WWII. Most Japanese castle are made in higher ground, but this one was build on a flat ground. more info in Wikipedia Equipment: Canon 40D, Sigma 8mm F4, Raw, manual, 420EX flash, remote, PT.Gui, nodal ninja 3 II.

360 Cities

2009-12-07 09:38:55 GMT

Panoramic photo by H. Adi Saputra.

You are looking at Matsue Castle in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture Japan. This castle is one of Japan national treasure and one of the oldest remaining original castle in Japan, meaning that it has not been reconstructed (some other famous original castle are the Himeji Castle in Okayama prefecture and the Matsumoto Castle in Nagano prefecture). It is really a great plessure to walk around the castle, a boat ride along the canal surrounding the castle is also recommended. Other Matsue city recommendation is the Art Museum, you can see georgous sunset from the vicinity, summer is the best season to visit shimane. If you have the chance to come visit shimane, when ever you enter a pay site, tell them that you are a foreigner (if you dont look like one), you may get a 1/2 discount! Pano made with Canon 40D, manual, raw, remote release, tokina 11-16mm, nodal ninja II.

GameSetWatch

editors@gamesetwatch.com (jeriaska) — 2009-12-05 20:00:00 GMT

[In his latest 'Sound Current' column for GameSetWatch, Jeriaska visits a Japanese music fan convention to discover the most interesting, often unofficial game music-related CDs and merchandising on sale there.]

Twice a year, fan remixers of videogame music exchange CDs at the Music MediaMix Market, or "M3" for short. Most recently, Yokohama’s Osanbashi Hall was host to the event’s aisles of booths run by professional and aspiring musicians.

More modestly sized than the comparable Comic Market festival, the single-day meetup caters exclusively to the musical side of fan service. Several dozen circles, or informally run organizations, turned out to the 24th chapter of the gathering's history with pressed arrange albums for sale.

This report takes a look at a cross-section of the remixes, covering everything from classics like Challenger to recent releases like Mamoru Has Been Cursed. Including comments by participants, the report offers various perspectives on the objectives that fuel creativity in the doujin remix music scene.

Outside Japan the art of game cover music is largely a geographically decentralized phenomenon. On occasion you can catch The Megas touring the States, 8 Bit Instrumental live in Brazil, or Mutherpluckin' B rocking in Sweden, but it's unlikely to see them together with other videogame-inspired music bands. By contrast, M3 is held twice a year in the Tokyo area, attracting dozens of cover bands and game remixing circles from all over Japan.

This latest M3 at Osanbashi Hall, an auditorium overlooking the sea from a boat-shaped structure in upscale Yokohama harbor, promised to be a voyage of visitors’ imaginations. Perhaps also of the contents of their wallets, as all manner of music CDs and multimedia DVDs were available for purchase. While these products often constitute a violation of copyright, game companies tend to look the other way when M3 rolls around, so long as the doujinshi (amateur products) remain commercially non-competitive.

That is not to say that all participating booths are run by hobbyists. Game composers from SuperSweep had on hand copies of the recently released Mamoru Has Been Cursed Arrange Soundtrack, music to the Xbox 360 port of the game. Its composer, Yousuke Yasui, was in attendance, as was SamplingMaster Ayako Saso, whose contributions to Tekken 6 Original Soundtrack will be published as part of a three-disc album by Sweep Record on December 12.

Rekka Katakiri came to Osanbashi Hall with a new rumba album for sale, part of her CLOSED/UNDERGROUND circle. A voice frequently heard in anime, the musician has also collaborated with Shadow Hearts composer Yoshitaka Hirota on the image album Kinema in the Hall. "I believe that human connection is among the most important things in life," says the vocalist. "It makes it all the more meaningful to be given the opportunity at this kind of event to meet people who say 'I love the music of Rekka Katakiri.'"

Bridging the gap between mainstream and underground, techno music label luvtrax had on hand albums whose song titles and NSFW album covers brought new meaning to the word "hardcore." Run by quad, the artist has DJ'd, written chiptunes and mastered 5pb Records albums including Yuzo Koshiro's Best Collections and Nobuyoshi Sano's DG-10 projects. The breadth of these activities echoes the overall diversity of M3's musical identities.

In addition to remixed music from videogames, M3 features audio created using retro game consoles. Tsutomu Outani brought with him copies of VORC Records' previous remix compilations, including Squarewave Surfers ~ Memory of 8 Bit, an album of international chip music creators' arrangements of famous beach songs.

For a recent VORC release, Saitone chose to remix Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" and "Thriller" in an 8-bit style. The arranger cites as a primary motivation the desire to introduce those unaccustomed to 8-bit music this distinctive style of expression.

"I've always been a big fan of his," Saitone says of his MJ EP. "I found myself even more absorbed in the process of adapting his music than in working on my own. An essential part of Michael's music is the quality of his voice, so I spent time thinking about how to emulate it using only non-vocal sounds."

Joining Saitone in Stockholm, Hally performed together with idol/graphic designer/vocalist Julie as the unity JulieHally. "I'm so pleased to have helped with forming the foundation for this genre," says Hally, who produced the chip music arrangement album Chiptuned Rockman. "I am glad to be serving as a bridge between the chiptune scene here and those existing overseas." When asked about his impressions of gatherings like M3 and Comiket, Hally says his feelings are mixed. "Our company was formed to sell chip music based on covers and remixes. We try to distinguish ourselves from doujin groups that do the same but without first licensing the music."

Yousuke Yasui and Ayako Saso of the prolific SuperSweep studio

With some CDs priced as low as 300 yen, others were being given away by their makers. Danjyon Kimura had a four-track album of original compositions created on a hacked Game Boy for those who stopped by his booth. "The Game Boy music of some time ago may have been simple," he says, "but there were so many inspired songs for it." The last track on the demo, "taketonbo," has an especially catchy rhythm along the lines of Hirokazu Tanaka's end theme to Super Mario Land, which Kimura says is among his top ten favorite tunes.

Meanwhile musician *4C* was selling copies of his latest installment in the irreverent dance music series "Sprite." Intended to introduce listeners to techno, house and trance mixes, the chaotic potpourri of musical influences run from Nintendo console triangle waves to JR line announcements, Street Fighter II tunes to "Take on Me" by a-ha (which, incidentally, has never sounded better).

“Yoshicore” from Sprite Volume 4 envisions Super Mario World taking place on the stroboscopic floor of a Shibuya dance club. "I'm proud to see that people like me are achieving their aims and emerging as DJs," says *4C*. "Our label's first event is planned for February 13 in Tokyo, and it ought to get some media coverage because there's going to be cosplayers all over the place."

To stand out from the crowd, it helps to be as clever and original with arrangement concepts as possible. Ebisen's "East Breaks in Thousand EP," for example, incorporates the six-second "Amen break" sample in four assorted game themes. The Wilhelm scream of breakbeat, the Amen break has miraculously touched every corner of hip-hop since the advent of sampling. "The end theme from Front Mission is a favorite of mine," says Ebisen, "but I couldn't find anyone to arrange it, so I went ahead and did it myself." The track sees Noriko Matsueda's melancholic lament for a war-torn battlefield, arranged for piano and strings, swiftly transitioning into a mechanically sped-up drum solo.

Some consider M3 a valuable way to engage with Japan's game music industry without having to weather the pressures of a competitive market. TMZ of Trichromatic went pro before switching his focus to design and publishing ten years ago. He sees his album "wired" as a method of exercising his skills. "Every one of the originals represented on the album are great pieces of music," he says of Trichromatic's latest. "I tried to retain their essence while arranging from a different perspective so as to give the tracks a fresh, new personality. " The album invites listeners to come for the trance remixes of Persona 3 and Saga Frontier II melodies, then stay for “wired,” an original composition.

For over twenty years the music of the Mega Man series has inspired amateur musicians to give Elec Man electronica makeovers and do Wood Man live and unplugged. Takana of the circle Colis Postal set out to treat the Blue Bomber to arrangements of elliptical, dreamy club mixes.

"Mega Man is called Rockman in Japan," says the musician, "so the title 'RockLove' carries a double meaning. It's about the love of Mega Man and the love of rock music clubs." The arrange album showcases active Tokyo DJs, a collaboration with sound house Right Stuff.

Takana mentions that licensing was a concern during the making of the album. "Just after we began distributing the CD, we received word that other circles were being forced to suspend sales of their Mega Man arrange albums. We contacted the company owning the publishing rights and received permission to sell CDs, but it could have easily turned out that this project was never released."

Members of circle “Artificial Heart” hoisted above their heads two laminated oversized posters for their latest offerings, rock arrangements of Smash Bros. and Mega Man X. The dust jacket of “We Will Rock You” depicts X, Zero and Doctor Wily reenacting the front cover of a Queen album. Listening to the cross-fade track on their homepage, a soundbite of the tongue-in-cheek glam rock voice acting can be sampled.

Artificial Heart promotes its two latest albums "Party" and "We Will Rock You"

The arrangements of classic game themes represented at M3 ran all the way back to the early days of home consoles, such as Lunatic Gate's “We Love 8 Bit,” including dance tracks inspired by Raid on Bungling Bay, Shadowgate and Challenger. FMPSG's Burning Stone offered on track “Paradise Planet” a time-warped look at Motoi Sakuraba’s hard rock style circa Valkyrie Profile through the lens of 8-bit famicom hardware.

A collection of circle earth Japan's best works were on display, spanning seven years of remixing. Revisiting Ketsui, Dracula X, Ys and Super R-Type, the album includes primarily high intensity electronic tracks, mixed and remastered using T-Racks software. Since the material was selected from various releases, some made with Recomposer/98 files installed on an old-fashioned NEC PC-9801, the archival process was no small task. "This album covers much of the music that has inspired me most since I was young," says Nijeil, "spanning nearly half my life." The circle's next album will arrange music from Super Nintendo racer F-Zero, due out at December's Comiket.

As might have been expected, M3 included many an offering to the shrine of Final Fantasy. Dynastess was selling the latest installment of the Music Fantasy Tactics series. SunnyVale had a Final Fantasy dance music compilation called Materia Blue, including super cute FF VII vocal covers and matching Yuffie Kusaragi cover art. Taking prog rock and metal as their inspirations, Sound Factory Carolina offered a drum and bass rendition of Ryuji Sasai’s Final Fantasy Mystic Quest as part of the Sound Legacy compilation.

Luna of Lunatic Gate brought to Osanbashi Hall the second edition of RPG-themed "Battle Syndrome." Much of the album, which has no breaks between tracks, never strays from 190 beats per minute. "The opening is a passage from 'Decisive Battle' from Final Fantasy VI," says Luna. "Since it's slower than the source material, the track has been named simply 'Battle Theme.'" Every Final Fantasy fight theme from the 8 and 16-bit eras has been covered by the Battle Syndrome series, except for one. Luna invites listeners to figure out for themselves which track remains to be remixed.

"Ever Green" by EtlanZ features pristine electronic arrangements from various classic Square Enix titles, the first album by the musician on updated synthesizer hardware. "I've been making music as a hobbyist for close to eight years," says EtlanZ. "It seems like you can always find someone to talk with about games, but game music is another story. I'm grateful to the event staff for making it possible for so many like-minded people to communicate with one another."

The delightfully named Magical Trick Society had a collection of Squaresoft remixes titled “Folktale Recollection,” including pastoral flute and steel string arrangements simulated on synthesizers. Magical Trick's "Lead Into Genesis" pays homage to self-taught game composer Shinji Hosoe with arrangements of his first score, Dragon Spirit. Sticking close to the source material while incorporating contemporary instrument samples, the tribute underscores how the composer’s passion over time led to the creation of an influential record label.

F-Zero Mode by Churchmode, a jazzy tribute to the ever-listenable F-Zero, shifts the pedal-to-the-metal thrill ride into mellow low gear. The album takes as its priority shedding new light on tunes you thought you already knew. The circle's "Paradox of Persona" remixes music by Shoji Meguro from the Atlus RPG series. Artist Splice, who dressed in Persona cosplay at Comiket to promote the fan arrangement album, says that what is most enjoyable about M3 for her is the chance to expand upon the experience of arranging game music by interacting with other enthusiasts.

frisbee and splice of Churchmode with Paradox of Persona -Ash of MEGAMI TENSEI2-

While the turnout at M3 remains strong, at the same time an economic recession cannot help but touch a community whose activities rely on having free time. Furthermore while previously many hobbyists dreamed of someday breaking into the industry, more recently many also fear that game companies will begin cracking down on unlicensed tributes.

More popular circles with aspirations of being signed can be heard wondering aloud whether their remix albums will be frowned upon by potential employers. It’s a situation that cannot help but discourage innovation in videogame arrangement. The feelings of uncertainty at events like M3 stand out in contrast to optimism felt across the Pacific, where Capcom endorsed Arizona rapper Random's Mega Man 9 remix album and Metroid Metal performed live at PAX.

Regulations are not firmly in place in Japan guaranteeing the safety of homage from legal action, and uneasiness remains when it comes to what it means to be doujin. Uncertainty notwithstanding, M3 continues not only to function but to outshine remixer gatherings elsewhere in the world. It's the place for the most inspired tributes and imitations the real world has to offer—dust jackets, liner notes, jewel cases and all.

[Images courtesy of VORC Records, Music Fantasy Tactics, Lunatic Gate and Aerophonon. Translation by Yoshi Miyamoto. Photos by Jeriaska.]

HABERTURK.COM

2009-12-03 15:14:00 GMT

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