Outer-Space and Earthly Instruments

Four brand-new streaming productions with works from the London-based, Japanese composer Dai Fujikura bring new sounds to a spring that has been – thanks to the pandemic – far too quiet: A new production of his opera Solaris by the Neue Oper Wien, a Pas de deux to the work neo for Shamisen by The Joyce Theater, New York, the premiere of the ensemble work Bliss at the Weimar Spring Festival and the world premiere of an orchestra miniature for the WDR Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre symphonique de Bretagne: Entwine.

Entwine – world premiere in Cologne

Dai Fujikura’s latest work for orchestra is about “touch”: “the physical touch we can no longer take for granted, and how we can feel socially awkward now just by stepping out of the door and have to make sure we are standing far enough away from the other people in the street. I wanted to create an orchestral work where musical materials pass through from one instrument to another, like one ‘hand’ to another: sharing, gathering, even ending up by being a crowd. Something we have all missed since the beginning of 2020, and something we now realize is what all humans need to live to the next day.” (Dai Fujikura)

Read complete composer's note

Entwine (2021)

2.2.2.2 - 2.2.0.0 - str
WP: 12.06.2021, Cologne
Commissioned by the WDR Sinfonieorchester and the L'Orchestre National de Bretagne

Livestream (12.06.2021, 8 pm CET)
Broadcast on WDR (23.06.2021, 8.04 pm CET)

Bliss premieres at Weimar Spring Festival

In his new work Bliss, Dai Fujikura combines the familiar sounds of instruments from Europe (violin, viola, cello, and contrabass) and Japan (koto) with instruments that are new to him: the shen, a Chinese mouth organ, a further developed relative of the Japanese sho, and the Daegum, a Korean flute. Directed by Il-Ryun Chun, members of the AsianArt Ensemble, ensemble via nova and MIET+ present the world premiere at the Weimar Spring Festival. Due to the current situation the performance was streamed.

Bliss (2021)

for Sheng, Daegeum, Koto, Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass
WP: 23.05.2021, Weimar (22. Weimarer Frühjahrstage 2021)

Score of Bliss

New ballet production featuring neo

The percussive power of traditional Japanese string instrument, the shamisen, unfolds in Dai Fujikura’s solo work neo, and has been choreographed for a duet by Alexei Ratmansky as part of a new production by The Joyce Theater and the Argyros Preforming Arts Center in New York. The digital production is available to stream until 16th June 2021.

Solaris premieres in Vienna

In 1961 Stanisław Lem published his novel SOLARIS, which captivated readers worldwide and inspired adaptations by artists for stage and cinema. The most recent adaptation is from Japanese composer Dai Fujikura, who studied in Great Britain, and is stylistically close to Pierre Boulez. Spring 2015 saw the world premiere of his first full-length opera in Paris, and it was premiered in Germany at the Staatstheater Augsburg in May 2018. The piece now sees its Austrian premiere by Neue Oper Wien, as a livestream due to coronavirus.

Go to stream

Solaris (2013-14)

Opera in 4 acts (based on Stanisław Lem’s novel SOLARIS) 
Libretto: Saburo Teshigawara 
S.T.2Bar.B - Off stage Kelvin (Baritone) - 1.1.1.1 - 1.1.1.0 - perc - key - 1.1.1.1.1 - Live-El
WP: 05.03.2015, Paris

Score of Solaris