The Six Hours cycle, which consists of three solo works, was created to establish a ritual time and space. Each composition is also a musical variation of Shomyo, a Japanese Buddhist chant.
In the Jodo sect of Buddhism and the Shuni-e ceremony at Todai-ji temple, the Buddhist memorial service is dedicated in a form that is divided into six time periods during the day. This is called the observance of the Six Hours (Rokuji no gyōbō). The Six Hours consists of Nicchu (Noon Watch), Nichimotsu (Sunset Watch), Shoya (First Evening Watch), Han'ya (Mid-evening Watch), Goya (Latter Evening Watch), and Jinjyo (Dawn Watch).
I attempted to condense and show the form of this one-day memorial service in the approximately 30 minutes given to me by the ACHT BRÜCKEN Festival, and to fill the space with the power of the prayer voice. Therefore, The Six Hours Ⅰ for bassoon represents the first two periods (Nicchu and Nichimotsu), The Six Hours Ⅱ for viola represents the second two periods (Shoya and Han'ya), and The Six Hours Ⅲ for tenor saxophone represents the third two periods (Goya and Jinjyo).

Kompositionsauftrag von ACHT BRÜCKEN | Musik für Köln

KonSequenzen: Yu Kuwabara - The Six Hours Cycle

cinematic youtube

Yu Kuwabara Works

8Dio Studio Soprano Saxophone - ''Solo'' by Troels Folmann

matsumoto kenichi tenor saxophone 
 Mar 2014

tenor saxophone solo improvisation w/DD5.WAV

Yu Kuwabara | The Six Hours I (2022-23) for solo bassoon (excerpt)
commissioned by ACHT BRÜCKEN | Musik für Köln
performed by Johannes Schwarz
recorded live at WDR Funkhaus am Wallrafplatz, Kleiner Sendesaal, Köln, Germany on 1 May 2023
Produktion des WDR im Rahmen von ACHT BRÜCKEN | Musik für Köln handelt.
The whole recording is available here: youtu.be/TItEFmbAhm8
published by Edition Gravis: www.editiongravis.de/verlag/product_info.php?info=p2913_The-Six-Hours-I.html

桑原ゆう｜六時の時間（とき）Ⅰ (2022-23) バスーン独奏のための（抜粋）
アハト・ブリュッケン音楽祭の委嘱による
2023年5月1日 KonSequenzen: Yu Kuwabara ＠WDR放送センター（ケルン／ドイツ）
演奏｜ヨハネス・シュヴァルツ

The Six Hours I (2022-23, expt.) for solo bassoon

Yu Kuwabara | The Six Hours Ⅱ (2022-23) for solo viola (excerpt)
commissioned by ACHT BRÜCKEN | Musik für Köln
performed by Megumi Kasakawa
recorded live at WDR Funkhaus am Wallrafplatz, Kleiner Sendesaal, Köln, Germany on 1 May 2023
Produktion des WDR im Rahmen von ACHT BRÜCKEN | Musik für Köln handelt.
The whole recording is available here: youtu.be/DFTYyYDJszo
The short clip+score video is available here: youtu.be/XEA5S8ELf7U
The radio program featuring this work is available by 18 Nov 2024: www1.wdr.de/radio/wdr3/programm/sendungen/wdr3-studio-neue-musik/kon-sequenzen-eins-102.html

桑原ゆう｜六時の時間（とき）Ⅱ (2022-23) ヴィオラ独奏のための（抜粋）
アハト・ブリュッケン音楽祭の委嘱による
2023年5月1日 KonSequenzen: Yu Kuwabara ＠WDR放送センター（ケルン／ドイツ）
演奏｜笠川恵

The Six Hours Ⅱ (2022-23, expt.) for solo viola

Yu Kuwabara | The Six Hours Ⅲ (2022-23) for  solo tenor saxophone (excerpt)
commissioned by ACHT BRÜCKEN | Musik für Köln
performed by Marcus Weiss
recorded live at WDR Funkhaus am Wallrafplatz, Kleiner Sendesaal, Köln, Germany on 1 May 2023
Produktion des WDR im Rahmen von ACHT BRÜCKEN | Musik für Köln handelt.
The whole recording is available on this radio program by 18 Nov 2024: www1.wdr.de/radio/wdr3/programm/sendungen/wdr3-studio-neue-musik/kon-sequenzen-eins-102.html

桑原ゆう｜六時の時間（とき）Ⅲ (2022-23) テナーサクソフォン独奏のための（抜粋）
アハト・ブリュッケン音楽祭の委嘱による
2023年5月1日 KonSequenzen: Yu Kuwabara ＠WDR放送センター（ケルン／ドイツ）
演奏｜マルクス・ヴァイス

The Six Hours Ⅲ (2022-23, expt.) for solo tenor saxophone

Hereby one of my experiments on free improvisation with my baritone saxophone.

Find out more about the classical/contemporary repertoire for baritone saxophone on the blog from my website: https://joanmf.com/jmf-blog/

FREE IMPROVISATION #8 - Baritone Saxophone Solo

桑原ゆう｜陀羅尼のまにまに (2016) for six musicians
commissioned by ensemble mise-en for MISE-EN MUSIC FESTIVAL 2016
recorded live at the cell on June 22, 2016
premiered by ensemble mise-en｜Kelley Barnett (fl), Vasko Dukovski (bcl), Mark Brochinsky (tb), Yumi Suehiro (pf), Maya Bennardo (vn), Evan Runyon (cb), Moon Young Ha (cond)
score published by Edition Gravis: https://www.editiongravis.de/verlag/product_info.php?info=p2735_Dharani-no-Manimani.html

Dharani no Manimani

Dharani no Manimani (Drifting with Dharani)(2016) for 6 musicians

桑原ゆう｜三つの聲 (2016) for violin, viola, and cello
written as part of Academy Voix Nouvelles 2016 at Fondation Royaumont
recorded live at Abbaye de Royaumont on September 9, 2016
premiered by Talea Ensemble｜Yuki Numata Resnick (violin), Elizabeth Weisser Helgeson (viola), Chris Gross (cello)
The recording+score video is available on the Score Follower channel: https://youtu.be/maphPICGEvQ

Three Voices

Three Voices (2016) for violin, viola, and cello

Yu Kuwabara｜Spiral Mandala -Wind Chant and Night Chant- (2015)(excerpt)
for Shomyo (Japanese Buddhist chant), on traditional poetry of Native Americans
commissioned by and premiered by Shomyo no Kai - Voice of a Thousand Years
recorded live at Spiral Garden, Tokyo, Japan, on January 9 and 10, 2016
I recommend listening to this recording with headphones, earbuds, or earphones!!
The whole recording+score video is available on the Score Follower channel: https://youtu.be/TiN8E2f7J5s
The whole movie of the Spiral Mandala Ceremony: https://youtu.be/pV6SBxcS4D8

桑原ゆう｜螺旋曼荼羅 ー風の歌・夜の歌ー (2015)より抜粋
ネイティヴアメリカン、ナヴァホ族の創生神話より「風の歌」「夜の歌」のテキストによる
スパイラル聲明コンサートシリーズ vol.24「千年の聲」螺旋曼荼羅海会
2016年1月9、10日 @スパイラルガーデン (スパイラルビル1F)
委嘱・出演｜声明の会・千年の聲 (迦陵頻伽聲明研究会と七聲会による)
◆迦陵頻伽聲明研究会 (真言宗豊山派)
新井弘順、平井和成、大平稔雄、川城孝道、斎藤説成、小路耕徳、塚越秀成、塚田康憲、田中康寛、沼尻憲尚、戸部憲海、孤島泰凡、多田康雄、青木亮敬、新井弘賢、中山宥義、堀内明大
◆七聲会 (天台宗) 
末廣正栄、室生述成、玉田法信、杉山幸雄、鈴木亮仁、豊田良栄、宇佐見孝昭、髙栁亮伯、小野常寛 
構成・演出｜田村博巳
録音｜エーアールアイ (ARI)
ぜひヘッドフォンやイヤフォンでお聴きください。

Spiral Mandara

Spiral Mandala (2015, expt.) for Shomyo (Japanese Buddhist chant)

桑原ゆう｜影も溜らず (2017) for solo violin and eight musicians
written for the Composer Seminar of the Lucerne Festival Academy 2017
recorded live at KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall on August 26, 2017
© Schweizer Radio SRF
premiered by Ensemble of LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI｜Yutaka Shimoda (solo vn), Raoul Cho (fl), Tomonori Takeda (cl/bcl), Kevin Fairbairn (tb), Bill Solomon (perc), Jian Ren (vn), Alfonso Noriega (va), Simon Thompson (vc), Juan Díaz (cb), Johanna Malangré (cond)