The training camp has ended successfully, and the real thing starts tomorrow, the 25th!

The guests who came from Okinawa to rehearse on the last day of the last training camp were four members of Unaigumi. Misako Koja, Namiko Miyazato, Yukino Hiyane, and Emiko Shimabukuro stood in a line with sanshin in their hands, and as their voices rang out in the practice hall, the temperature rose by about three degrees in excitement. The members, who had been practicing without sanshin and vocals until now, were surprised, saying, "So that's the kind of song it was!" Please pay attention to the corner where Ryukyu folk songs and Tohoku folk songs meet with the orchestra at this year's concert. Of course, all three songs are arranged for the first time.

Just today, the ceiling lights in the banquet hall of the hotel in Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture, where the practice was held, were set to purple from the morning. I don't know if the hotel staff was trying to imagine a Showa-era mood song, or if it was a homage to Prince, or if it was just a mistake, but I didn't get angry and asked, "What is that ceiling light?", so I left it alone. As if there was no time to worry about the lighting, the conductor, Toshio Yanagisawa, started his enthusiastic performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 1 at 9am again. At breakfast, the university students were grinning and saying, "Morning Marathon," but as the teacher in charge, there were also elementary and junior high school students, so I didn't pursue it any further than saying, "Yes, it's morning Marathon."

During the break as morning turned to noon, the female members of the group surrounded Director Sakamoto in front of the television cameras. The camera crew, who have occasionally appeared in previous photos of the final training camp, were actually from NHK. They were closely covering the event and shooting footage for NHK General TV's "Close-up Gendai," which will feature Ryuichi Sakamoto's first new album in eight years, due to be released on the 29th next week, and Educational TV's "SWITCH Interview: Experts ." "Close-up Gendai" is set to air from mid-April onwards, but as its main focus is Director Sakamoto's new album, it is unknown how much coverage TYO will receive. However, in terms of how closely they covered the event,

Even when he eats lunch with the other members of the troupe, the camera is rolling with audio microphones sticking out. I can't help but think, "Director Ryuichi Sakamoto must have a tough job."

I found him quietly writing in the waiting room,

She poses with a can of Kirin FIRE coffee in hand, which she appears in the commercial for , to show that she is fully prepared to appear in the commercial with the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, led by Director Sakamoto.

Here are the three members of the Fukushima University Orchestra, wearing matching hoodies and performing on their backs. Hazuki Chiba, the violinist on the left, prioritized the Tohoku Youth Orchestra training camp even though today was her university graduation ceremony.

A two-shot of congratulations from Director Sakamoto. He will be going to graduate school next year and aiming to become a composer. Speaking of aspiring composers, there is another junior high school student who composed the opening fanfare for the concert, a trumpet trio, just like last year. The performance will begin at the beginning of the afternoon practice.

On the left is Endo Hiroto, a third-year high school student from Iwate who was accepted into the National University of Fine Arts and Music. In the middle is Saito Tomoko, a third-year student at Tohoku University, and on the right is Nakamura Yuto, the section leader.

Director Sakamoto stares intently at the projected score while listening to the background and intention of the composition by Fukushima City's percussionist Hidezumi Tomo. Last month, the secretariat suddenly asked him to compose a trio instead of a duet this year as a sign of respect for Mahler, which put him in a difficult position. He said that if he kept Mahler in mind, it would become Mahler himself, so he composed the piece while forgetting about him. I'm sorry for being the one who asked him to do something unreasonable... Now, let's begin the mini Schola .

"It's a very interesting melody that I could never have imagined. How did you come up with this way of changing the key?" asked the director. Toh-kun looks happy to be praised by Ryuichi Sakamoto. It gives you confidence.

"Fanfare for TYO concert 2017," composed by Hidezumi Tono, is scheduled to be performed 10 minutes before the start of the concert on both the 25th and 26th, so if you're attending, please arrive with plenty of time so you don't miss out on this short piece by this young composer!

Later in the afternoon they performed Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in its entirety.

Without stopping even once, Yanagisawa's conducting gradually became more powerful. As a leader who listened to the full performance of Mahler's Giants on the last day of the Sapporo training camp in August last year, it was a moving experience. Of course, I think that Abbado x Berlin Philharmonic, Solti x Chicago Philharmonic, and Tennstedt x London Philharmonic will lose in terms of skill and experience, but I have a feeling that Yanagisawa Toshio x TYO will produce the best performance of Mahler. Please look forward to this 50-minute work. The purple ceiling lighting is already good.

This concludes the training camp. At the end, Coach Sakamoto hands out gifts to each member of the group.

The sheet music cover to be used in the performance was autographed by the director, and we also received a surprise gift of original goods specially ordered by the director. While the members of the orchestra spontaneously played background music, the director also presented a gift to the conductor, Mr. Yanagisawa. I was so moved that the photo turned out blurry, but oh well.

All that's left is to perform tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. We enjoyed the last dinner of the camp (croquettes, spring rolls, stew, meatballs, etc.) in a cheerful mood.

As on the way there, Director Sakamoto traveled to Tokyo in a Lexus to take a test drive for the "Lexus Listening Drive" tie-up project for the release of his new album .

Finally, the performance will be held at Tokyo Opera City tomorrow the 25th, and at Koriyama Civic Cultural Center the day after tomorrow the 26th. We look forward to seeing everyone there. There will also be a lobby concert, so please come at the opening time.