The distinguished Japanese composer, Toshio Hosokawa, has been honoured with numerous awards as well as a steady stream of commissions and acclaimed performances. As with many of Hosokawa’s concertos, Ceremony sees the flute soloist as a ‘person’ and the orchestra as the ‘universe and nature’ – the flautist’s breath echoing like the winds of nature and becoming a song that awakens the spirits. A complimentary work to Hosokawa’s The Raven (Naxos 8573724), Futari Shizuka – The Maiden from the Sea is a single-act opera, the ancient tragic tale of which resonates with the fate of refugees around the world today.

Vol.1 (8573239) of the series ‘[draws] magically delicate colours and rich textural intricacies from what is a profoundly attractive score’ (Gramophone on Lotus under the moonlight), and Vol.2 (8573276) ‘reinforce Hosokawa’s commitment to poetic representations of human presences in the natural world’ (Gramophone). Vol.3 (8573733) was considered ‘moving and musically convincing’ by The WholeNote. Vol.4 (8574543) has been recorded with the Residentie Orkest, The Hague, and ‘given peerless, commanding performances by trumpeter, violinist, and The Hague orchestra under the attentive direction of Jun Märkl’ (American Record Guide).

World-class vocal soloists in this recording include Ryoko Aoki, who holds a unique position in the field of Noh theatre, which is historically the reserve of male actors. With over 55 works written for her by various distinguished composers, Aoki brings to life collaborative works by fusing the traditional Japanese culture of Noh with Contemporary music in Europe and Japan.

Praised for her luminous voice, musical sensitivity and versatility, Belgian soprano Ilse Eerens enjoys an international opera and concert career in repertoire that spans from Bach to works of the 21st century. Flautist Mario Caroli is an advocate of contemporary music, and he has quickly become the preferred interpreter of the many of the greatest contemporary composers, including Salvatore Sciarrino, György Kurtág, Toshio Hosokawa and Wolfgang Rihm.

Jun Märkl is a highly respected interpreter of core Germanic repertoire and is renowned for his refined and idiomatic explorations of the French Impressionists. He currently serves as music director of the Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and is the chief conductor of the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague, Netherlands. He is also principal guest conductor of the Oregon Symphony. Märkl’s expertise in the world of opera and long relationships with the state operas of Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Berlin, Semperoper Dresden, The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera and New National Theatre in Tokyo have been complemented over the past decades by his orchestral music directorships of the Orchestre National de Lyon, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, Basque National Orchestra and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.