TORU TAKEMITSU
1930 - 1996

Toru Takemitsu was a Japanese composer who achieved international acclaim. He was largely influenced by various contemporary artists – such as Debussy, Copland, and Messiaen -
and their styles, and constantly tried to build his own music by conflating his cultural/spiritual identity with them. Takemitsu especially focused on the possibilities of timbre and sound. He criticized the fact that Western avant-garde music was paying too much attention to scientific rationalism, ignoring the relationship between music and people. 
As an alternative to this, he pursued subtle timbral manipulation and explored various sounds and noises from daily life. In addition, Takemitsu is famous for combining elements of Eastern and Western philosophy and for incorporating silence and tradition with innovation. He showed great interest in expressing the atmosphere of his home country, Japan, musically. For instance, „November Steps“ (1967) is a symphony that rediscovered traditional Japanese values under the influence of John Cage. Another representative work „A Flock Descendants into the Pentagonal Garden“ (1977) demonstrates the indigenous gardens of Japan.

TAKEMITSU AND GUITAR

Guitar works of Takemitsu show a deep understanding of timbre, organisation, and instrumentation, guitar is close to Takemitsu’s musical aest in that it has great potential to articulate both, Eastern and Western music styles. The classical guitar is an instrument that can digest a variety of Western musical elements, including
polyphony and homophony, while it produces sounds similar to the traditional Japanese instrument ‚Biwa‘.
In addition, the important keyword for understanding Takemitsu‘s guitar works is the Japanese aesthetics of ‚Ma‘. 
‚Ma‘ is a concept that is explained by the stationary state in time,
and/or the interval or emptiness in space. Takemitsu saw the stillness of this ‚Ma‘ as representing the latent energy, not the absence of sound.
The guitar is an instrument optimized for the musical implementation of this idea because of its sound mechanism; the plucked strings resonate with the body and its empty space.

Toru Takemitsu

Allemande, Lute Suite No.1, BWV 996, J.S.Bach

Toward The Sea 3

Toward The Sea 2

Toward The Sea 1

Equinox

All In Twilight 4

All In Twilight 3

All In Twilight 2

All In Twilight 1

Jeonghyun Kim, born in Seoul in 1997, found her passion for the guitar at the age of 14. In her native city, she accomplished a Bachelor of Arts degree in guitar performance at the Korea National University of Arts. 
Furthering her education, she journeyed to Germany and completed her Master of Music studies under the mentorship of Prof. Franz Halász at the
University of Music and Performing Arts Munich in 2022. 

Jeonghyun’s sensitive and virtuoso playing was enriched through numerous master classes, having had the privilege to learn from Prof. Johannes Monno, Prof. Marco Tamayo, Prof. Laura Young, and Prof. Marco Socias.
Jeonghyun’s musical prowess can be regularly experienced in concerts, where she performs both as a soloist and as a part of various ensembles. Over the years, she has been active in guitar duets, trios, quartets and even as a member of the Korean guitar orchestra, KNUA.

Beyond classical solo literature, her work heavily focuses on chamber music, for which she continually expands her repertoire through her own arrangements and a broad range of
instrumentations. She has also played a pivotal role in several world premieres of contemporary compositions, including performing a piece for guitar and traditional Korean instruments composed by Yeseul Kim, and a flamenco-inspired piece written for her by Spanish composer Víctor Pantoja Figueroa. Jeonghyun currently resides in Munich, Germany,
where she organizes various concerts, including solo performances and chamber music recitals.

As a scholarship recipient of the Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now München e.V., Jeonghyun has shown a deep interest in sharing her music with those who otherwise would not have the opportunity to attend a concert. 
She was also sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) during her studies, further cementing her commitment to her craft.