- My piano cycle in seven movements Hoshi Mandara (星曼荼羅), "Star Mandala", has been written during the years 2017-2020. The only exception is the opening movement, Maa-aria ("Earth-Aria") which has an origin from the year 2012.
The star mandalas of the Japanese esoteric buddhism (mikkyô 密教) are related to the old Chinese astrology. In my composition the role of the planets and star constellations is replaced by several hints to the music history. Two clear examples are the movement called EN (縁, "relationship, destiny") which contains a couple of quotations from the piano piece by Clara Schumann Variationen über ein Thema von Robert Schumann, and the movement called Fondamenta which contains the Bach chorale Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir in the bass voice. In addition the cycle contains connections to my earlier works.
The most substantial rewritings are the movement called NEN (念, "one's heart's desire") which is related to the aria "Red Moon of Venice" from my opera Madame de Sade and the movement called Myôken (妙見, "deification of the North Star") which shares the musical material with the third movement of my clarinet piece Dream Transmission. The concluding movement Kokuugen (虚空眼), "Empty-Space Eye", is a kind of musical protostar, which functioned during the composition process as a matrix of ideas for many of the other movements.
ITARU OGAWA performs Hoshi Mandara, miniatures 1-3
Kimihiro Yasaka performing the miniaturs 4-6
Kyoko Fukushi performs Kokuugen (虚空眼)
虚空眼を弾くと、ある感覚を得る。それは「無」である。 呼吸と旋律が一体化し、「間」が無の境地へといざなう。 最後の一音を唱え、目を開けると、そこには新たな世界が拡がる心持がする。
福士恭子
When I play Kokuugen, I get a certain feeling – that of nothingness (無). Breathing is united with the melody, and a state of nothingness is induced by silence (間). Upon reciting the last note and opening my eyes, I feel that a new world spreads out around me.
Kyoko Fukushi
Kun soitan Kokuugenia, saavutan tietyn tunnetilan. Se tunnetila on tyhjyys (無). Hengitys ja melodia muuntuvat yhdeksi ja hiljaisuus (間) kutsuu minua tyhjyyden tilaan. Lausuttuani viimeisen äänen ja avattuani silmäni tunnen, kuinka ympärilläni leviää uudenlainen maailma.
Kyoko Fukushi
Translated by, kääntänyt Lasse Lehtonen.
Recording: Kyoko Fukushi, June 13, 2020. Kawaguchiko, Japan. ©️Kyoko Fukushi
