Tōru Takemitsu Composition Award
Encyclopedia
The Tōru Takemitsu Composition Award is a music competition for young composers
organized in Tokyo
, Japan
.
The Toru Takemitsu Composition Award (annual competition of orchestral composition), which is an international composition award following Toru Takemitsu
's principle "Prayer, Hope, Peace", continues since 1997 to encourage younger generations of composers who will shape the coming age by creating new musical works.
The nucleus of this award is in its uniqueness that each year only one judge is responsible for its outcome. For the first 3-year cycle, Takemitsu himself chose the following three composers to head the competition : Henri Dutilleux
(1997), György Ligeti
(1998), and Luciano Berio
(1999). Then, after Takemitsu’s passing, the three successors, Louis Andriessen
(2000 recommended by Berio), Oliver Knussen
(2001 recommended by Dutilleux) and Joji Yuasa
(2002 recommended by Ligeti) were nominated by the initial judges.
For the third 3-year cycle (2003-2005), George Benjamin
(2003), Magnus Lindberg
(2004) and John Adams
(2005 • cancelled) were nominated by recommendation from the Advisors (Hiroyuki Iwaki, Oliver Knussen, Kent Nagano, Kazushi Ohno, Simon Rattle, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Hiroshi Wakasugi) and preceding judges.
For the fourth 3-year cycle (2007-2009), the selection by the Advisors Committee members and the previous judges were Akira Nishimura
(2007), Steve Reich
(2008) and Helmut Lachenmann
(2009).
Tristan Murail
(2010), Salvatore Sciarrino
(2011) and Toshio Hosokawa
(2012) have been appointed as judges for the new 3-year cycle.
The nominated pieces are performed at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall.
Fifty different composers have been nominated for this prize since its inception in 1997. (updated as of 2011 Prize)
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
organized in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
History
The Toru Takemitsu Composition Award (annual competition of orchestral composition), which is an international composition award following Toru Takemitsu
Toru Takemitsu
was a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory. Largely self-taught, Takemitsu possessed consummate skill in the subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre...
's principle "Prayer, Hope, Peace", continues since 1997 to encourage younger generations of composers who will shape the coming age by creating new musical works.
The nucleus of this award is in its uniqueness that each year only one judge is responsible for its outcome. For the first 3-year cycle, Takemitsu himself chose the following three composers to head the competition : Henri Dutilleux
Henri Dutilleux
Henri Dutilleux is one of the most important French composers of the second half of the 20th century, producing work in the tradition of Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, and Albert Roussel, but in a style distinctly his own...
(1997), György Ligeti
György Ligeti
György Sándor Ligeti was a composer of contemporary classical music. Born in a Hungarian Jewish family in Transylvania, Romania, he briefly lived in Hungary before becoming an Austrian citizen.-Early life:...
(1998), and Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian composer. He is noted for his experimental work and also for his pioneering work in electronic music.-Biography:Berio was born at Oneglia Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (October 24, 1925 – May 27, 2003) was an Italian...
(1999). Then, after Takemitsu’s passing, the three successors, Louis Andriessen
Louis Andriessen
Louis Andriessen is a Dutch composer and pianist based in Amsterdam. He teaches composition at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague...
(2000 recommended by Berio), Oliver Knussen
Oliver Knussen
Oliver Knussen CBE is a British composer and conductor.-Biography:Oliver Knussen was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, Stuart Knussen, was principal double bass of the London Symphony Orchestra. Oliver Knussen studied composition with John Lambert, between 1963 and 1969 and also received...
(2001 recommended by Dutilleux) and Joji Yuasa
Joji Yuasa
is a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music.-Biography:Born in Kōriyama, Fukushima, he is self-taught as a composer.In 1951 or 1952, together with the composer Tōru Takemitsu and other contemporary artists and musicians, he founded Jikken Kobo , an organization dedicated to the...
(2002 recommended by Ligeti) were nominated by the initial judges.
For the third 3-year cycle (2003-2005), George Benjamin
George Benjamin
George Benjamin may refer to:* George Benjamin , Canadian political figure* George Benjamin , English composer...
(2003), Magnus Lindberg
Magnus Lindberg
Magnus Lindberg is a Finnish composer and pianist. He is currently the composer-in-residence at the New York Philharmonic.-Education:...
(2004) and John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
(2005 • cancelled) were nominated by recommendation from the Advisors (Hiroyuki Iwaki, Oliver Knussen, Kent Nagano, Kazushi Ohno, Simon Rattle, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Hiroshi Wakasugi) and preceding judges.
For the fourth 3-year cycle (2007-2009), the selection by the Advisors Committee members and the previous judges were Akira Nishimura
Akira Nishimura
is a Japanese composer.Nishimura studied composition and musical theory on a graduate course at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He also studied Asiatic traditional music, religion, aesthetics, cosmology and the heterophonic concepts, all of which had a lasting influence on his...
(2007), Steve Reich
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...
(2008) and Helmut Lachenmann
Helmut Lachenmann
Helmut Lachenmann is a German composer associated with musique concrète instrumentale.-Life and works:...
(2009).
Tristan Murail
Tristan Murail
Tristan Murail is a French composer. His father, Gérard Murail, is a poet and his mother, Marie-Thérèse Barrois, a journalist. One of his brothers, Lorris Murail, and his younger sister Elvire Murail, aka Moka, also write, and his younger sister Marie-Aude Murail is a French children's writer...
(2010), Salvatore Sciarrino
Salvatore Sciarrino
Salvatore Sciarrino is an Italian composer of contemporary classical music.-Biography:In his youth, Sciarrino was attracted to the visual arts, but began experimenting with music when he was twelve. Though he had some lessons from Antonino Titone and Turi Belfiore, he is primarily self-taught as a...
(2011) and Toshio Hosokawa
Toshio Hosokawa
is a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music.-Biography:Hosokawa studied with Yun Isang at the Berlin University of the Arts. Since 1998, Hosokawa has served as Composer-in-Residence at the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. In 2004, Hosokawa became a guest professor at Tokyo College of Music...
(2012) have been appointed as judges for the new 3-year cycle.
The nominated pieces are performed at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall.
Fifty different composers have been nominated for this prize since its inception in 1997. (updated as of 2011 Prize)
Results
Winners: Year – Judge – Prize:- 1997 – Henri DutilleuxHenri DutilleuxHenri Dutilleux is one of the most important French composers of the second half of the 20th century, producing work in the tradition of Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, and Albert Roussel, but in a style distinctly his own...
– First Prize: not awarded. Second Prize: ZÉULA by Massimo Botter and Mabuni-no-Oka – by Hideki Kozakura.Third Prize: PAGAN II by Marc kenneth Yeats. - 1998 – György LigetiGyörgy LigetiGyörgy Sándor Ligeti was a composer of contemporary classical music. Born in a Hungarian Jewish family in Transylvania, Romania, he briefly lived in Hungary before becoming an Austrian citizen.-Early life:...
– no prize awarded - 1999 – Luciano BerioLuciano BerioLuciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian composer. He is noted for his experimental work and also for his pioneering work in electronic music.-Biography:Berio was born at Oneglia Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (October 24, 1925 – May 27, 2003) was an Italian...
– First Prize: Uninterrupted Song by Katsuji Maeda. Second Prize: DINAMORPHIA by Ken Ito. Third Prize: Polychrome by Toshiya Watanabe. - 2000 – Louis AndriessenLouis AndriessenLouis Andriessen is a Dutch composer and pianist based in Amsterdam. He teaches composition at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague...
– First Prize: L'été-L'oubli rouge by Jun Nagao. Second Prize: AWAKENINGS by Joe Cutler. Third Prize: Pulsating by Sho Ueda. - 2001 – Oliver KnussenOliver KnussenOliver Knussen CBE is a British composer and conductor.-Biography:Oliver Knussen was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, Stuart Knussen, was principal double bass of the London Symphony Orchestra. Oliver Knussen studied composition with John Lambert, between 1963 and 1969 and also received...
– First Prize: AQUILO by Arlene Elizabeth Siera and Gebilde-Gegenbild by René Mense. Second Prize: 5 pieces for orchestra by Luke BedfordLuke BedfordLuke Bedford is a British composer.He was educated at St Crispin's School in Wokingham. He studied composition with Edwin Roxburgh and Simon Bainbridge at the Royal College of Music, and won the Mendelssohn Scholarship in 2000. This was followed by post-graduate study with Simon Bainbridge at the...
. Third Prize: Stein/Stern by Ryuji Kubota.
- 2002 – Joji Yuasa – First Prize: Canticum Tremulum by Royuki Yamamoto. Second Prize: FEEDBACK by Panayiotis Kokoras and Scene for Orchestra by Theodor Pauss. Third Prize: Tzolkin by Michael John Wiley.
- 2003 – George BenjaminGeorge Benjamin (composer)George William John Benjamin, CBE is a British composer of classical music. He is also a conductor, pianist and teacher....
– First Prize: Allégories by Joël Mérah. Second Prize: Calling Timbuktu by Dai FujikuraDai Fujikurais a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music.-Biography:Dai Fujikura left home in Osaka at 15 and went to study at Dover College in the UK, his adopted home. His initial ambition was to compose music for cinema...
. Third Prize: Nights Bright Days by Phillip Neil Martin and Da/Fort by Vittorio Zago. - 2004 – Magnus LindbergMagnus LindbergMagnus Lindberg is a Finnish composer and pianist. He is currently the composer-in-residence at the New York Philharmonic.-Education:...
– First Prize: Fantasia on a Theme by Vaughan Williams by Paul Stanhope. Second Prize: Phenomenon by Narong Prangcharoen and Focal Distance II by Sho Ueda. Third Prize: YU-HYUN by Soonjung Suh and TALKING by Marius Baranauskas. - 2005 – John Adams – The competition was cancelled
- 2006 – There was no competition
- 2007 – Akira NishimuraAkira Nishimurais a Japanese composer.Nishimura studied composition and musical theory on a graduate course at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He also studied Asiatic traditional music, religion, aesthetics, cosmology and the heterophonic concepts, all of which had a lasting influence on his...
– First Prize: Never Stand Behind Me by Sho Ueda. Second Prize: CUBE by Andrea Portera. Third Prize: AQUA by Man Fang, Reminiscence of a dream by YiMing Wu and In Killing Fields Sweet Butterfly Ascend by Jonas Valfridsson. - 2008 – Steve ReichSteve ReichStephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...
– First Prize: What dou you think about the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? by Yuichi Matsumoto. Second Prize: La Noche de Takemitsu by – Tomás Barreiro. Third Prize: God in the Machine by Damian Barbeler and 16_1/32_1 by Toru Nakatani. - 2009 – Helmuth Lachenmann – First Prize: Hexagonal Pulsar by Kenji Sakai. Second Prize: Creatura Temporale by Raffaele Grimaldi and ZAI by Kazutomo Yamamoto. Third Prize: Cronica Fisiologica Universal by Lucas Fagin and A Whirl of Endless Repetition – To the Chaotic Ocean by Masato Kimura.
- 2010 – Tristan MurailTristan MurailTristan Murail is a French composer. His father, Gérard Murail, is a poet and his mother, Marie-Thérèse Barrois, a journalist. One of his brothers, Lorris Murail, and his younger sister Elvire Murail, aka Moka, also write, and his younger sister Marie-Aude Murail is a French children's writer...
– First Prize: ...Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion by Roberto Toscano. Second Prize: Aquarius by Andrej Slezak and Infinito Nero e Lontano la Luce by Ken NambaKen NambaKen Namba is a Japanese composer, performer and researcher.Namba was born in Hamamatsu. He studied at Toho College of Music. He studied with Kazuaki Ogikubo, Jun Nagao, Tomiko Kohjiba, Carlo Forlivesi and René Staar. His works have been performed by many players not only in Japan, but also in...
. Third Prize: Deux Presages by Chikako Yamanaka. - 2011 – Salvatore SciarrinoSalvatore SciarrinoSalvatore Sciarrino is an Italian composer of contemporary classical music.-Biography:In his youth, Sciarrino was attracted to the visual arts, but began experimenting with music when he was twelve. Though he had some lessons from Antonino Titone and Turi Belfiore, he is primarily self-taught as a...
– Nominations TBA, December 2010. - 2012 – Toshio HosokawaToshio Hosokawais a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music.-Biography:Hosokawa studied with Yun Isang at the Berlin University of the Arts. Since 1998, Hosokawa has served as Composer-in-Residence at the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. In 2004, Hosokawa became a guest professor at Tokyo College of Music...
– Nominations TBA, December 2011.