TOSHIO HOSOKAWA (b.1955): Orchestral Works, Vol. 1 - Horn Concerto "Moment of Blossoming", Piano Concerto "Lotus under the Moonlight (hommage à Mozart)", Chant for Cello and Orchestra.

Description: The horn and piano concertos share the image of the lotus flower; rooted in primeval mud, rising into light, blossoming in a jewel-like flower from a bud that resembles praying hands. The soloist represents the flower, symbolizing a human soul, and plays the most cohesive motivic material, surrounded by the fluid, chaotic texture of the natural world. The depths, the water's surface, the sky above, the ascent are graphically illustrated in music; the narrative of the convulsive 'moment of blossoming' followed by the peaceful coexistence of the flower in nature is plainly depicted in the horn concerto. The sinuous, sonorous cello part in Chant reflects both Japanese Buddhist ceremonial music and the flowing forms of Japanese calligraphy, surrounded by the chaotic beauty of nature. Stefan Dohr (horn), Momo Kodama (piano), Anssi Kartunen (cello), Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Jun Märkl.