Composition by Yuta Tanaka
Created with Spitfire Audio BBCSO-PRO and Steinberg Dorico Pro

This piece is a symphonic poem inspired by the Greek Myth of King Midas and his golden touch.

Illustration by kimankul

KING MIDAS for Orchestra

Berserkjahraun for chamber orchestra

Reynisfjara for chamber orchestra

Vatnajökull for chamber orchestra

Composition by Yuta Tanaka. Whenever I see the color blue in nature (skies, oceans and so on) I enjoy looking at it — at the way sunlight changes the hue of the blue by the slightest change of its brightness. But I also enjoy seeing blue in darkness, where it turns to gray, then black. In gray skies and seas, I still try to find blue. That feeling was the initial inspiration behind the planning of this piece, to be premiered at the Talis Festival 2019.

Hue of Blue in Shades of Gray for flute, violin, and piano

Kew Gardens in Queens, New York, is where the composer settles, which offers a delicate balance between the city and nature. Each piece portrays the impression of the specific trees in the park, which the composer grew over time getting acquainted with them.

Solitary Yew stands alone in the park, planted by the park planner not too long ago. The evergreen tree looks like it does not belong there but still maintaining a straight, symmetrical posture. Later in the summer, its seed cones develop into a berry-like red structure.

Twin Japanese Maples welcomes the composer every time he comes home. In spring, it grows beautiful bright-green leaves, with 5 or 7 pointed lobes. From autumn to winter, its leaves grow into burning red color for a while, then fall. 

Triangular Oaks are probably the oldest of the park. Three oak's layout creates vast shadow areas on the lawn where kids play with balls, kicking or throwing it back and forth.

Triangular Oaks for solo oboe

Twin Japanese Maples for solo oboe

Solitary Yew for solo oboe

Pandora was written for Online Summer Composition Workshop with Jenni Brandon in June, 2020 with bassoonist Christin Schillinger as resident artist.

Program notes:
This piece portrays the Greek myth surrounding Pandora (Greek: “All-Gifts”). She was sent to the earth by Zeus with a box (originally a jar with a lid) which he told her not to open it. At first, she enjoys life on earth but eventually opens the box out of curiosity. The box released all sorts of evil to the earth. However, Pandora finds that Hope alone stayed in the box which tells her not to despair.

Pandora for Solo Bassoon

Program notes:
Notes In The Woods is an allegro piece for solo flute, intended to characterize the instrument’s capability of producing agile but delicate sounding music. In the woods, nature’s sound emerges from silence then goes away into silence. And the source of sound is unknown. That spontaneous sound-image helped to create this piece.

Notes In The Woods for solo flute

Program notes: 
After the Hollyhock House visit at Barnsdall Art Park in East Hollywood of Los Angeles, this piece's initial inspiration came to me. Frank Lloyd Wright designed the house with a commission from the house's prospected owner, Aline Barnsdall. The architecture sat atop a hill, filled with ample light of Summery Los Angeles weather. Even from a distance, I could see that its Mayan-inspired exterior is very much unexpected and out of place. It feels as if there is suddenly an archaeological site in the middle of LA. As I get close, I started to see many more details of the design: the hollyhock motif, Aline's favorite flower, lined up along the roof and stained glasses in the windows ornamented with geometric patterns of triangles and hexagons. The walls along the passageway into the house deliberately block the view and light, narrowing the path's dimension down toward the massive entrance doors, entirely made of stone, dimly seen in the dark. 
Into the Hive seeks to portray the sensation that one would experience to approach the house for the first time. I found from the visit that the architecture's components are similar to that of musical composition. There are structural materials that other materials are built upon and motives that put everything together. So I constructed this piece with the structure in mind - patterns in the bass and range of the instruments that continuously narrows itself down - and motives that feature numbers 3 and 6, inspired by Wright's work that constructs motives by combining simple geometric patterns.

Performed by Heartland Marimba

Into The Hive for Marimba Quartet

Music by Yuta Tanaka
Collaboration with Teiko Wakamiya, the narrator
https://youtu.be/GaKF9BCJm0I

Pandora for Orchestra and Narration

Yuta Tanaka, born and raised in Japan, is a composer with a background in jazz and Western Classical music, who seeks to indulge in crafting music he loves. He graduated from Aaron Copland School of Music with master's degree in composition, where he studied with Dr. Bruce Saylor. He is also an active double bass player at classical and jazz venues in the New York City area and Japan. Photo credits: Karina Imankulova

Yuta Tanaka Sound

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