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Hibakusha
Aaron's solo flute piece, "Hibakusha," has been performed around the US, including permances by Leone Buyse, Rita Linard, Timothy Hagen, Roberta Michel, and Deborah Schmidt of the new music group Sounds New. It was premiered internationally in Japan by acclaimed flutist Leone Buyse at Japan's premier venue, the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan and is due to be performed at the Kennedy Center, amongst other venues, by Catherine Branch, who has toured internationally with the piece. Ms. Branch's recording of "Hibakusha" was recently released from Capstone Records in a new studio recording. She also recently discussed the piece as part of an NPR interview (see Radio Broadcast below).
INSTRUMENTATION
Solo Flute
DURATION
6 minutes
DATE
2005, rev. 2006
US PREMIERE
11 Feb. 2006
Society of Composers, Inc.
Region VI Conference
Rice University
Shepherd School of Music
Houston, TX
Catherine Branch, flute
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
11 March 2009
Webster Trio Japan Concert
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Leone Buyse, flute
Additional international performances in Melbourne, Australia; Rome, Italy; Oyama City, Japan; and Kromeritz, Czech Republic (2009).
AWARDS
2008 Composers in Red Sneakers Young Composers Competition
RECORDING
Capstone Records Label
Catherine Branch,
flute
Fran Schmidt, audio engineer
Studio Recording in Stude Hall
Rice University
Shepherd School of Music
PUBLICATION
Society of Composers, Inc.
Journal of Music Scores
Vol. 40
RADIO BROADCAST
Listen to the NPR interview with Catherine Branch talking about "Hibakusha"
Full Interview (35:38)
Clip 1 (1:55)
· Clip 2 (2:13)
DEMONSTRATION SCORES & RECORDINGS
Please contact the composer.
Listen to the Work:
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Following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, many survivors were plagued with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. These survivors are known as Hibakusha (pronounced “hih-BAHK-shah"). This piece seeks to capture their state of shock, sometimes described as a ‘frozen dream,’ as they were ever-haunted by their devastating past. While this was first envisioned as a larger ensemble piece, there is something profoundly isolating about the survivors’ condition, which suggested the solo instrumental treatment adopted here.
THE INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
On 11 March 2009, the Webster Trio Japan performed a concert at Japan's famous Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. Acclaimed flutist Leone Buyse gave "Hibakusha" its Japanese and International premiere. Akemi Hara of Japan's premier music magazine, the Ongaku no tomo, said, "Buyse performed with a healing tone, especially in the second piece [Hibakusha, where] her performance sincerely brought us a message of memorial and a prayer for peace."
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©2008 Aaron Alon. All Rights Reserved.