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沢井忠夫の抄像と音楽遺産


上野晃　（音楽評論家）


私個人の最初で一番忘れ難い印象は,一 九六〇年代も終わりころ,清水脩作品のみで プログラムされた第三回目に当たる沢井忠夫 リサイタルでした。独奏曲「六つの断章」や 新作「心象」（箏のための小協奏曲）のソ ロ、あるいは「嬉遊曲」（二面の箏のための) における一恵婦人との二重奏が、とりわけ鮮 烈に私の心奥に刻まれています。また同時期、 入野義朗作品「尺八と箏の協奏的二重奏」で の青木静夫（二代目鈴慕）とのデュオを始め、 山本邦山とのかずかずの名協演が、いま続々と 脳裏に甦ってきます。

名古屋の西北。木曽川東岸の毛織物の町、 尾西で生まれた沢井忠夫は、少年期より宮城 道雄の高弟で中京在中のの田村美智子師に生田 流を学ぴ、東京芸術大学邦楽科卒業の翌五九 年、第節一回リサイタルを開き、NHK「今年 のホープ」に選ぱれて、早くも注目されまし た。が、六〇年代半ぱに,尺八の山本邦山や 青木静夫、箏の高野和之.長唄の杵屋栄三郎 ら、若手男性邦楽家のみで結成された「民族 音楽の会」に参加してグループ活動を始める あたりから、箏曲界を越え、さらに邦楽杜会 の外にも、沢井忠夫の存在が知られていきま した。

「現代邦楽」が最初のルネサンス期を迎え た六〇年代のあと、次の新しい局面で起こさ れた一九七五年の、諸井誠の作曲と構成によ る「箏のための劇場空間」、沢井忠夫を主役と するこのシアトリカルな実験的催しは、彼の1 プログレシヴな精神のもっとも大き高揚に 思われました。翌七六年の、肥後一郎「箏と 弦楽合奏ための一章」における名古屋フィルフイ ハーモニーとの協演。続く七七年の、やはり 肥後の委嘱作「莞絃秘抄」の初演を含む尺 八のエキスパート四人と逐次対演したリサイ タルなども、彼のオールラウンドな能力とと姿 勢をこの時期に顕示したものとして、いまも 記憶は古びていません。 しかし彼は、ときたま低音の領域に移出 するために十七絃を弾くことがあっても、十 三絃以上に増絃した現代の箏に手を出すこと はなかったのです。どこまでも十三本の 絃に泥み、その制限のうちで自己能力の 可能性を問い続けました。普段のマイル ドな風貌は、一旦箏を前にするやいなや、 精悍の気漲り、神聖な尊容に一変、 きぴきびと明快きわまりなき音跡を生み つつ、一気呵成の持続のなかに、極限的な演 奏力が発揮されていきます。しかし彼はまた、 箏の本質を短くかつ繊細な余韻の多様さに見 究め、それを伝えるためには,PA装置を使う のでなく,なるだけ聴衆と近い距離で演奏 しなけれぱ--と考えていましたし、静的な うちの動的,といった箏演奏の姿容の美しさを鎚し書 を大事にしていました。

あるとき私は--嵐の低気圧が足速に駆 け抜けて行ったあとの、すっかり汚れを洗い 落とされた限りなく透明な大気。雪国の方に は申し訳ないけれど、冬の快晴の、ぴしﾂと 緊まった気色であれば、なおいい!沢井忠夫 の箏の音は,そういった静澄な自然空間の イメージといつも同化して、私には聴こえて くる。いや、ときにはには見えてくる、といった 方ががいいかも知れない--などと記しました。 リズム感覚優位は当然ながら、そのド ライヴ、つまりテンポに対する並外れた直感 と処理能力。それは、妙な言い方で誤解を呼 ぷかも知れませんが、 しばしばピアニスティックといえるくらい、 独自な器楽的センスを溢れさせました。 音の立ち上がりの冴えた美しさ、瑞々しい音色は、 しかし機微に多様に使い分けられ、クールな 叙情からデモーニッシュな暗い官能的の表現まで 、内在のあらゆる琴線が紡ぎ出されて交織し、 一恵婦人との文字通り琴瑟相和すデュオは、 さらにそれを増幅します。 七六年に始まり､八三年に再開される夫妻の 全国縦断ジョイントリサイタルは、その活写された エキジビジョンでした。

この機に作曲された「詩-うた-独奏箏と箏群のための」 も、代表作の一つですが、 沢井忠夫合奏団がなけれぱ、.恐らく出現しな かったでしょう。沢井箏曲院の縮尺ともいえ るこの箏合奏団、,七〇年代末より定期演奏会 をスタートさせていましたが、邦楽の域を 越えたスケール、洋学的なダイナミクスやヴ. イルトゥジティなど、その優れた特性は, まさに沢井夫妻のミュージカリティの投影と いってよく、即ちそれはまた、二人の個性に フィードパツクされていくのでした。これほ ど精度のの高い、音色に敏感な邦楽アンサンプ ルは、類がありません。群のなかの個の存立, 一人一人が全部独立した音色で鳴ってていなが ら、完璧に近いトータルを生んできます。 驚異的なアンサンブルが創り出す音細胞の空間は、 これからもしぱしぱ蘇ることを希わずに おれません。

いかなる難曲にも敢然と挑み、そこに征服の の喜ぴを携みいくテクニシャンの沢井忠夫 師でしたが、その仕上り鮮やかさには、 いつも完成度の高さと一種の風格を感じさせ、 これらはまた.さまざまな沢井作品の佳き形質 、美しい佇まいとなって残されています。 少年のこ二ろより絃譜で作曲し、のちに洋楽系 作曲家のもとで学んだほどですが、演奏と 作曲の両方が、早くより主従の別なく営まれて きました。しかし自作自演という狭溢な相関 の営みに留まらず、演奏家すなわち有能な作曲家 、という数百年来の邦楽の伝統を如実に うかがわせ、かつ自他同等の標的、,古典も現代 も同じレヴェル、同じ手.同じ十三絃の箏にて 、リアリゼーションの可能性を限りなく 立証し統けてきたのです。沢井忠夫師のこれこそ 業績の根幹といえるでしょうし、箏曲史上の 祖たちに、その姿を重ね合わせてみたい 気もちに駆らせます。

いま一枚の、「讃歌」と総タイトルされた 自作自演集のCDDが眼の前に置かれています。 昨年録音された多分最後のディスクですが、 そこにデザインされた、箏の尾部から頭部 を臥祝するデフォルメ写真が、故人の自画像の ように見えてきます。合掌。

©　邦楽ジャーナル



THE HAWAII HERALD Friday, September 21,1990

THE ART/ Steve Lum

SAWAI KOTO SCHOOL HAWAII
School Founders Tadao and Kazue Sawai Will Be “In Concert” at the Mamiya Theater

Award-winning Tadao Sawai and his wife, Kazue Sawai, will bring their koto expertise and modern interpretations to the Chaminade University campus’ Mamiya Theater on October 27. The concert will offer followers of contemporary Japanese music the opportunity to not only listen to the music of two of Japan’s foremost koto performers, but also enjoy a koto ensemble from Tokyo and performers from the Sawai Koto School Hawaii, featuring instructor Makiko Goto.

The unique Japan-Hawaii cultural event will feature 50 musicians in various ensembles performing contemporary compositions for koto, bass-koto and shakuhachi, according to Bernice Hirai, president of the Sawai Koto School Hawaii. The highlight of the concert, which is the last of the 10th anniversary concert series of the Sawai Koto School Tokyo, will be the performance of the Sawai Tadao Koto Ensemble.

“Both of the Sawais have been here several times in the last 10 years,” Hirai says.

“Tadao Sawai is a performing specialist as well as composer of both traditional and contemporary music. Kazue Sawai is a virtuoso of the bass-koto. Both artist have made numerous recordings (more than 30) in the last 20 years, and have performed in concert all over Europe, Southeast Asia, the United States, Canada and Australia in the last 15 years.”

The occasion will mark a reunion for the Sawais and Goto, who lived with the noted koto performers prior to coming to Hawaii in 1986. As an uchideshi, or apprentice, Goto took koto lessons, taught and accompanied the Sawais on their tours. Today, she is the head instructor of the Sawai Koto School Hawaii, a branch of the main school headquartered in Tokyo.

The Hawaii branch, which was founded in February 1989, now has 40 members, according to Hirai, “At that time there were no koto teachers,” says Hirai, who had her first koto lessons at the age of 11. The koto teachers had stopped giving lessons so when Goto offered her services, she was welcomed with open arms.

“My teacher had come to Hawaii before and told me that the University of Hawaii had koto classes but no teacher,” says Goto, explaining the reasons why she came to Hawaii. “I couldn’t plan anything at the time so I came here (to Hawaii) and studied English. Then I got acquainted with some koto players.”

Most of her students have their own koto, a harp-like musical instrument, according to Goto. Many acquired their instruments from their grandparents, while others have ordered custom-made kotos from Japan. Prices range from $500 to several thousand dollars, since everything is hand-made.

“The koto is easy to learn,” says Goto, who also plays the samisen.

“You don’t have to have a music theory background. You just have to know some basic Japanese characters, from the first to the 13th strings.”

Her students attend weekly sessions lasting 45 minutes ------ with beginners often getting proficient after one or two months of regular lessons. Goto’s patience as a teacher stems from her earlier days, when she learned koto basics from her mother. “ I liked the koto because it was something different. Most of my friends played the piano.”

“The koto goes well with the violin, flute and full symphonic orchestra,” Hirai points out. Last April, Goto was invited to perform a koto solo with the University of Hawaii Symphonic Orchestra at the Neal Blaisdell Concert Hall, a performance that was not only an honor for Goto, but a special treat for the audience as well.

With people like Makiko Goto and Bernice Hirai, together with the members of the Sawai Koto School Hawaii, passing on their enthusiasm to prospective new students, the koto will not become an endangered musical instrument in Hawaii.




Left photo, Tadao Sawai (center) and Kazue Sawai (left) will be appearing at a concert at Chamiade University’s Mamiya Theater on October 27. Above photo, Makiko Goto, instructor at the Sawai Koto School Hawaii, will also perform with the Sawais.


River Cities’ Reader

THE ULTIMATE KOTO DUO
BY Jeff Wichmann

Survival, that’s what its all about. In order to survive one must change. The Japanese string instrument, koto, is one that has changed and adapted through time.

Most people are familiar with the more traditional “pretty” sounds generated by this six foot long Asian zither. A popular image of the koto is that of a kimono clad female kneeling down behind the instrument daintily plucking its thirteen strings. But closer inspection into the world of koto (and a reality check in 1990s) reveals a 1,100 year old instruments taking contemporary music by the throat. Look a little closer and discover a Japanese husband and wife team that has molded a new world of koto within the later third of the 20th century. Meet Tadao and Kazue Sawai.

The Sawais have worked, together and separately, to revitalize the koto in Japan and bring to the world a new form of music ------- Japanese contemporary music. For the past 30 years these musicians have redefined what was tradition. Now, they oversee one of the largest koto schools in Japan. They have taken steps in new directions with their music, but their steps have been different. This team works well together, because, like all successful relationships, they are opposite in nature, but at the same time, share a common goal ----- the advancement of koto.

TADAO

On any given morning Tadao will sit and relax with a cigarette and a cup of coffee calmly reading the daily newspaper. When he is on stage, he still appears to be reading the paper. During a performance he moves with simple grace and subtle fluidity. His hands fly over the strings at tremendous speeds with acute accuracy not unlike Robert Fripp’s work on guitar. Tadao is always in calm control, the kind of control that makes audiences say, “My! Doesn’t that look easy!”

Tadao Sawai is considered to be one of the leading contemporary Japanese composers for koto. His professional career spans over the past 30 years since he graduated from the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music. His compositions have been more influenced by European music than Japanese. He takes chances but they are educated chances.

Tadao has written approximately 80 pieces that have had a huge impact playing techniques with fresh sounds and rhythms. Some of his ensemble compositions have the full-scale intensity of a Barton symphony. Others incorporate drumsticks and atonal tunings that wash the air with scratchy vibrations and psychedelic wave. Though he considers traditional music an important aspect of koto plying, he sees the koto as something more than just a traditional Japanese instrument. It is an instrument through which a musician can explore new realms of sound.

One of Sawai’s more famous works, “Homura,” was written for his wife, Kazue. Her energetic performance style and creative interpretation has made it a Sawai anthem ------ one that has received standing ovations whenever played.

KAZUE

In Japan, people wait patiently at intersections for the walk symbol to appear before crossing the street. Kazue doesn’t like to wait. She runs across busy streets in the middle of a block on her own accord. She takes just as many chances in her music. On a given night, one can find her literally tearing apart a koto (ala early Pete Townsend) in a small Tokyo bar while improvising with other musicians.

She has performed throughout Europe, India, and America wowing audiences with her high energy shows. In Japan, where the koto is still considered by many to be a “traditional” instrument, she is one woman entourage breaking down barriers in a conservative country. Her small stature (4 ft 9 inches) is deceiving. When she plays the 17 string bass koto, the music rolls forth in a mighty roar. She bounces around in constant motion, throwing her whole body into the instrument, hitting, pulling, and snapping the strings with bullet shot intensity.

As a teacher she encourages her students to break from tradition in their playing; at the same time respecting it. She says the koto should be respected as an instrument on it’s own merit. According to Kazue, the music should be played because it is good, not because it’s Japanese or because it is old or new. The music and the instrument will only survive if it is played as art.

THE DUO

The Sawais are leaders in making the koto popular and respected in Japan. Tadao’s compositions are regarded as modern classics, as are Kazue’s interpretations. Both are rebels. They simply go about reveling differently. Something incredible happens when they perform together. It is natural that they make a great duet and it is by nature, and their will to push the boundaries of music, that they insure the survival of the koto and its music.

The Sawais will be performing together at Augustana College in Rock Island on Tuesday April 18 at 8 p.m. Although they have performed in the United States before, this will be the first time by Elizabeth Falconer and the Chusei Koto ensemble lead by Dr. Jesse Evans will be performing with them on selected pieces. Following their Augustana concert, the Sawais will perform in Chicago, New York and San Diego.