Art Song Suite about the Life of Beloved Japanese Poet
The Life of Misuzu Kaneko | Story, Poetry, and Art Songs
Saturday, November 15 from 4:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Thespis Theatre – 25-02 Newtown Avenue, Long Island City
Admission: Free
The world premiere of New York-based contemporary music composer Satoshi Kanazawa’s art song project based on beloved Japanese poet Misuzu Kaneko will take place at Thespis Theatre in Long Island City this Saturday, November 15.
Experience the remarkable yet tragic life of Kaneko (April 11, 1903 - March 10, 1930), who ended her own life at the young age of 26. This presentation is based on the book Are You an Echo? which introduces Kaneko’s poetry through a narrative by David Jacobson and English translation by Sally Ito and Michiko Tsuboi. Through evocative readings and live performance, Kaneko’s tender words and melodies transcend time, touching the heart with their beauty and depth.
Left: Misuzu Kaneko, photo courtesy of Preservation Association of Misuzu Kaneko Works. Right: Illustrations ©︎Toshikado Hajiri
Part 1: Book Reading Session
The first half of this event will be a book reading, telling Kaneko’s heartbreaking story. Actor Daniel Abse will read from Are You an Echo? while Marisa Karchin and Naoko Nakagawa will recite a selection of Kaneko’s poems.
PERFORMERS
Daniel Abse – Book reading
Marisa Karchin – English poem reading
Naoko Nakagawa – Original poem reading
Part 2: Art Song Performance
Kanazawa, who has been working on this project for more than 20 years, will premiere the art song suite in the second half of the program. The suite features seven selected poems sung in
PERFORMERS
Naoko Kanazawa – Soprano
Marisa Karchin – Soprano
Junko Ichikawa – Piano
Satoshi Kanazawa – Composer
This program is made possible by the Queens Arts Fund New Work Grant and is supported by JULA publishing Bureau and DOUSEIKAI -Tokyo University of the Arts Alumni Association.
For more details and to RSVP, please visit Satoshi Kanazawa’s Eventbrite page.
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