[Member Report] Charity Concert to Support Disaster Areas at Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall

This time, percussionist Mizuho Miura will be reporting on what happened from the rehearsal the day before to the actual performance.

On March 11th, the 10th Disaster Area Reconstruction Support Charity Concert was held at the Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall, with the Tohoku Youth Orchestra performing on the orchestra stage in the second part.

The conductor was Akiyama Kazuyoshi, chief advisor of the Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall, the pianists were Ogawa Noriko and Miyamoto Takana, both hall advisors of the Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall, the pipe organ was Matsui Naomi, also a hall advisor of the Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall, the soprano was Suzuki Mikiko, and the emcee was Yamada Miyako.

The songs performed were a total of seven songs: "Anger from "Untiteled 01"," "Three TOHOKU Songs," "Aqua," "The Last Empror," "Kizuna World," "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence," and "Flowers Will Bloom."

First, the members entered the venue at 17:30 on March 10, the day before the concert, and brought in the percussion instruments. This time, there were many instruments, and the parts they were in charge of had changed due to members being unable to attend. There were endless worries right up until the last minute, such as how to arrange the instruments, where on the stage the percussion instruments would be, and how much space there was, but they managed to finish setting up.

The rehearsal began at 6:30 p.m.

First, let's start with "Anger from "Untiteled 01". This time I was assigned to play the celesta, and I was very nervous. Not only do I get nervous easily, but the celesta was behind the violin section, so the usual supportive members of the section were not there. In addition, most of the performance was improvisation, so I was very anxious.

However, when the song started, the harp player next to me was making the same movements in parts, so I was able to play by relying on that. I found it interesting to discover something new by playing on a different instrument than usual.

Next was "Three TOHOKU Songs." The conductor, Mr. Akiyama, instructed me to "yell more brightly and with a stronger voice." Since shouting is a major feature of Three TOHOKU Songs, I also tried to sing more clearly.

Next is "Aqua". The percussion and some of the wind instruments do not appear, but I am always captivated by the sound of the strings. This is a song that is usually performed along with a reading, but I once again felt that it is a very beautiful song even when listened to without the reading.

Next is "The Last Empror". I thought I was familiar with this song because I had played it many times, but when the conductor changed, the tempo and the way of taking the beat changed, so I felt like I had to correct that. I was in charge of the bass drum, and I was more careful than usual to keep the tempo.

Next is "Kizuna World." This song also does not feature percussion or some wind instruments, but it is a very beautiful song, and I always regret not being able to join the ensemble. Once again, I was captivated by the song.

Next was "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence." I also played the celesta in the first half of this song. I had planned to have another member play the clappers in the second half due to travel restrictions, but the celesta and the percussion instruments were closer than expected, so I moved quickly and played the clappers as well. In addition, the member who was supposed to play both the glockenspiel and gong couldn't make it in time, so I ended up playing the gong as well. I was nervous about being asked to play so many instruments unexpectedly, but I managed to get through it.

The final song performed by all the performers was "Hana wa Saku". Since Mikiko Suzuki participated in the song as a singer, we practiced while paying attention to the balance with the singing voice. Percussion instruments, especially cymbals and other metal instruments, resonate well, so depending on the hall, it is necessary to significantly lower the volume, but this time, since the singer also participated, we paid even more attention to the volume balance.

The rehearsal the previous day lasted until almost 9 p.m.

On the day of the concert, March 11th, we entered the hall at 9:00 and the dress rehearsal began at 10:00.

The ensemble performed according to the flow of the actual concert. The dress rehearsal ended around 11:30, confirming the parts that were taught in the rehearsal the day before.

Then, from 13:00, we rehearsed the interview with Captain Kaizu Kota and violinist Ota Tsuguyoshi. I was very nervous to speak in front of the many people who came to listen.

The doors opened at 13:45, and a pre-talk began at 14:00, with Akiyama Kazuyoshi, Matsui Naomi, Ogawa Noriko, Miyamoto Takana, and moderator Yamada Miyako taking to the stage.

The first part began at 14:30, and after playing two songs, a moment of silence was observed at 14:46. I observe a moment of silence every year at this time, and this year I offered a prayer with gratitude for the fact that even in faraway Kawasaki, there are people who remember and think about the Great East Japan Earthquake.

The second part started, and the first song was "Anger from "Untiteled 01". As usual, I was very nervous, but I managed to play it by relying on the harp. I had almost no experience in improvisation, so it was a valuable experience.

The second song was "Kizuna World." As mentioned above, all the percussionists were absent from the performance, so the students calmed their trembling hands by listening to the sounds of the string instruments.

The third song was "Three TOHOKU Songs." The shouts that we had been taught during rehearsals echoed well throughout the hall. Captain Kaizu's voice was especially audible throughout the song, as expected!

At this point, interviews with the three members were held. They looked back on what inspired them to start playing instruments and their memories of the time of the earthquake. Each of us headed to the front of the stage with our respective instruments, but during rehearsal, Kaizu-kun said to me, "Mizuho-chan, you play clappers, right?", so I took the clappers with me. Then, after my self-introduction, Yamada-san, the MC, asked me, "Since you're here, could you try playing a clapper?" I don't remember much about what we talked about, as I was so relieved to have somehow managed to make a sound without it coming off...

The fourth song is "Aqua." As usual, there are no percussion instruments, so I listened carefully to it. No matter how many times I listen to it, I think it's a very wonderful song.

The fifth song was "The Last Empror". We were able to perform it after correcting the tempo, which was an issue in the rehearsal the day before.

The sixth song was "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence." I played many instruments including the celesta, clappers, and gongs, but I was relieved that I was able to play them all without any delay.

The last song was "Flowers Bloom". The second verse was sung by everyone who came to the venue, and we all played music together. Some people were so moved that they were in tears, which made me very happy.

We finished the performance safely, and I am very happy to have had the precious opportunity to perform with the four hall advisors at such a wonderful hall as the Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall. This concert made me realize once again how precious it is that even now, 12 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, they are creating an opportunity for people to reflect on the disaster in places other than the affected areas. I think that from now on, TYO must shift from being on the receiving end of support to being on the support end. I hope that the concert at the Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall will be the first step in that direction.

Percussion section: Mizuho Miura