three haikei and more

Makiko Goto, Koto
Jeremias Schwarzer, Blockflöte

Japanese and European Music of the 16th-18th century and contemporary compositions by Misato Mochizuki, Toshio Hosokawa, Annette Schlünz, Erwin Koch- Raphael, Gerhard Stäbler, Klaus Lang a.o.

With support of Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung

The project: Traditional and contemporary music from Japan and Europe

Japanese „classical“ music belongs as much as the European music to a long and rich musical history. In this program for koto and recorder, out of a deep respect for the masterworks of these traditions, the attempt was made to create a connection between instruments and sounds from the East and from the West. The contemporary composers wrote their pieces especially for this duo. Through these works for koto and recorder, a new repertoire of pieces has been starting which could also be an example for the music of the future: the music and the musicians of the world could connect in new ways and contribute their ideas to the life of many people from different cultural backgrounds.

the koto

The koto came in the 7th century from China to Japan as one of the instruments of the Gagaku (court) music. Later it became one of the most important solo instruments. The most important traditional repertoire has been created by Yatsuhashi Kengyo (17th century). At the present time, the instruments is also used in Jazz and Avantgarde music

Makiko Goto

Makiko Goto, born in Tokyo, Japan 1963, started playing koto with her mother at the age of nine. Since she has been twelve years old she studied under Kazue Sawai and Tadao Sawai at the Sawai Koto School where she received the master degree “Shihan”. In 1986, she moved to Hawaii (USA), where she was an instructor at the Ethnic Music Department of the University of Hawaii and established a branch of the Sawai Koto School. Since 1992, she is living in the Netherlands. Beside her performances of traditional music she frequently participates in the premieres of works by contemporary composers for koto, 17-string bass koto and 21-string koto. Among other compositions, she has been performing numerous times “Nocturne” by Toshio Hosokawa for bass-koto, “Birth of the Bass Koto” by Makoto Shinohara and “Fragmente Duo” for tenor recorder & 21-strings koto. Also she has been collaborating with composers such as Misato Mochizuki, Bernhard Lang, Kunsu Shim, Gerhard Stäbler, Rupert Huber, Annette Schlünz, Hidehiko Hinohara and others.
Makiko Goto is frequently invited to join in different ensembles and groups (duo, trio, electronic music ensemble, theatre, dance, etc) world-wide. The Duo collaboration with the recorder player Jeremias Schwarzer (since 2003) is one of her actual deep focus, including both traditional and contemporary music for two instruments coming from different cultural backgrounds. As a guest instrumentalist she is frequently invited to perform with ensembles such as Ensemble Recherche Freiburg, Nieuw Ensemble Amsterdam, Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam, Tokyo Sinfonietta, Elision Ensemble Australia, Ensemble Contrechamps, Ensemble I Fiamminghi Gent, Notabu Ensemble Düsseldorf, Chor des Bayerischen Runfunks, a.o. Recently she participated with the Ensemble Phoenix Basel in the composition the “Opening of the Mouth” by Richard Barrett.
Ms Goto has been performing under conductors such as Jürg Henneberger and Roberto Forés Veses.
As a soloist with orchestra, the Koto concerto “Varem” by Jimmy López (13-strings koto, 21-strings koto, 17-strings bass koto and orchestra), dedicated to her and commissioned by the Utrechtse Muziek Academie orchestra, has been performed in the Netherlands and in Helsinki/Finland. Also Makiko Goto performed the koto concerto by Maki Ishii “GA-EI” with the Brabant Conservatorium Orchestra in the Netherlands and “Voice of the Phoenix“ for Koto and Orchestra by Neil McKay (USA) with the University of Hawaii Symphony Orchestra in Honolulu (Hawaii). Her performances were recorded for international radio- and television programs and she appears on several CD´s with contemporary and traditional pieces for koto solo and/or chamber music with other instruments and voice.