Compositions
Der Wolfsmann (2019)
for Piano and Electronic Sound
Der Wolfsmann for Piano and Live Electronics was inspired by the metaphysical criticisms of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis of infantile neurosis by Gilles Deleuse and Felix Guattari, in their groundbreaking series, Capitalism and Schizophrenia. Freud used the name “Wolfman” to refer to one of his patients, Sergei Pankefeff, who suffered from depression. The pseudonym was inspired by a dream that Pankefeff had about five wolves in a big walnut tree. The Pankefeff case helped to establish Freud’s theory of psychosexual development. By incorporating the concept of multiplicity into the sounds, the composition traverses the fragmental associations that reverberate in the obsessions between Freud and Pankefeff. It consists of three movements: The Dream of Becoming, Doppelgänger and The Psychosexual Fantasy
resOnance))) (2018)
for Piano and Electronic Sound
A piece exploring the vibration through the space from the piano chords, applying a bass shaker.
Nocturne (2017) : 夢想する猫 (The Dreamy Thoughts of a Cat)
for electronically prepared toy piano and live electronics
Toy piano by Hitomi Honda, Video by Noriko Nakano, and Poem by Shuji Terayama.
Stream (2017)
for two violins and electronic sounds
Although it sounds like a continuous repetition of the same note, each note is interpreted differently, with its own unique characteristics. By exposing the subtle differences in timbre of A4 and E5 (including the quartertones), along with the noise from the two violins, the piece attempts an auditory representation of the rippling of the waves flowing from a sonic meditation.
03/12/2017 Japan-USA: Musical Perspectives Series 7 @ Tenri Cultural Center, Two violins by Miolina
Tanka (2016)
for Soprano voice, Tenor Saxophone, Acoustic Guitar, Piano and live electronics
Tanka is a song cycle for chamber ensemble and live electronics based on a set of six short poems by Sadakichi Hartmann (1867–1944), who was an early modernist and was born in Japan, raised in Germany, and settled in the U.S.A. Tanka means a short song (poem) in Japanese; the form originated in the eighth century AD. It consists of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables, which is 7-7 syllables longer than the Haiku. The structure can be divided by two parts: 5-7-5 and 7-7. The two distinct parts are reflected as a binary form in most of the pieces, and the 5-7-5 unit’s patterns are used as rhythmic divisions in some of the pieces. The movements of this piece contain a variety of unpitched sounds produced by the wide-ranging extended techniques such as mouth noises, key clicks, multiphonics, microtonality, detuning, internal-piano play, and a percussive approach on the guitar, to obtain unconventional sonorities to enhance the surrealistic soundscapes. In addition, for the live electronics, granular synthesis is applied to modify the spectrum of the specific resonance and the sense of time and space. Movement II was composed in September and October in 2015under the supervision of Morton Subotonick; movement I, III, IV, V, and VI were composed between September and December in 2016 under the supervision of Doug Geers.
Tanka III, Fall Concert at Brooklyn College, December 2015,Soprano: Taeko Ota, Tenor Saxophone: Shoji Hisamatsu, Piano: Hitomi Honda, Live Electronics: Akio Mokuno
Tanka IV, Sound Traffic,December 2016 @ Fire House Space,Soprano: Taeko Ota, Piano: Hitomi Honda, Live Electronics: Akio Mokuno
ONOMATOPOETIC (2016)
For female voice and live electronics
Inspired by Berio’s Sequenza III, in this piece, the dissected phonetic symbolism in the hiragana expressions (quoted primarily from manga), the mouth noises, and the mimetic sound effects are all modified through granular synthesis and the various emotional states indicated in the ideograms (Chinese characters).
OROCHI by Kazuo Umezu
Deformation (2016)
For Two Pianos, six hands and live electronics
Deformation is an attempt to create a spatial sonic illusion by artificially combining the sound reflections of two piano patterns using multiple timings. Two speakers located in the rear of the audience propagate the audio signal, which is delayed and modulated from each piano. Vibrating air molecules at the same frequency (in unison) creates a constructive and distractive sonic interference in the concert space, which may provide the listener with a sense similar to being in a multi-dimensional area filled with topological motions and unique spectral gestalt feeling. It is recommended to listen to this piece from multiple angles by turning one’s head.
Feb 12 @ Firehouse Space Karl Larson, piano A, Hitomi Honda, piano B, Robby Bowen, percussion A, Cory Bracken, percussion B,Akio Mokuno, Live Electronics
In the Sonorant (2015)
for Viola and live electronics; Viola by Hannah Selin and Computer by Akio Mokuno
When I fiddled the first time, I was simultaneously stunned and impressed by the distinct resonance, the excitation from the vibration of the strings, which conducted through my bones and transmitted the pulsations into my brain. The fullness of the sonic texture reminded me of the vibrations in my vocal chords when articulating vowels. Inspired from the cellular level of those experiences, for this piece, I extend the imagination on transmissions of acoustic energy.
Infall (2014)
for Piano and Electronic Sound; Piano by Hitomi Honda and Computer by Akio Mokuno
An algorithmic metaphor of the imaginary patterns of falling leaves, the genesis for this piece emerged from the drifts of a shower of leaves. From those swirling leaves grew associations of the gravitational forces of distorted time in space, culminating in numerous fallings, disparate timings, and various complex motions
Mullaly Park 09/10 (2013)
for Piano and Electronic Sound; Piano by Hitomi Honda and Computer by Akio Mokuno
Mullaly Park 09/10 is a piece for piano and electronic sounds. It was composed (reconstructed) based on a field recording I made while I was taking a short walk around my neighborhood in the Bronx, New York, on the evening of September 10, 2013. The field recording captured and magnified the sounds that I hear unconsciously in my everyday life. Blowing wind, cars passing by, detonating Salsa from a car stereo,people’s chats, kids playing ball, plastic bottles rolling on the ground,klaxons, sirens, construction, trains, and women yelling angrily—these sounds came and went while other sounds occurring farther away created a distant backdrop. Some were repetitive and some were abrupt.
When listening closely and reexamining the sounds and their interactions with my memory, the whole became a kind of perceptual sonic fantasy that transformed into music. In the state of deep listening and through my own psychoacoustic interpretation, the daily environmental noise was translated into piano. The passages are inspired by the found sounds that came and passed during the walk, and those aural experiences have been modified by focusing on spatial aspects through my own personal associations.
Hitomi Honda, piano Akio Mokuno, computer Recorded at Conservatory Composers Concert III, Brooklyn College December 11, 2013 Video shooting and editing - Toshikazu Kaneiwa
Fragments and loops (2012)
For Tenor Saxophone with DSP and Electric Guitar; Tenor Sax by Shoji Hisamatsu and E. Guitar by Akio Mokuno