You are currently the principal oboe player of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. Do you feel that you are making the most of what you have learned from participating in the Ongaku Juku?
The Ongaku Juku taught me the basics of the basics, or really important things. I joined the school when I was a senior in college. The program was “Die Fledermaus,” and I couldn’t even get my arms and legs around it… (wry smile). (Laughs) But looking back on it now, I think there were two major things I learned. The first was what Mr. Ozawa always said: “Listen carefully. Oboe teacher Fumiaki Miyamoto also told me, “Listen! Listen! Listen! Were you listening just now? He really did say that to me many times. What happened to the song? Were you listening to it? (laughs). (Laughs.) That was very scary. (Laughs.) I was literally drilled into my mind until it sunk in that listening and watching is extremely important when playing in an orchestra, and now I am really glad that I did. You have to listen carefully, watch the music, and understand your role in the piece, whether you are the melody or the accompaniment, and what you are doing. If you don’t have this, you can’t talk about it. I learned the core of what it means to be a musician. I still try to remember this lesson.
The other time was when I performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 “Destiny” at the “Concert for Children” at the Saito Kinen Festival in Matsumoto. There were multiple performances and we played it many times, but sometimes we got sloppy. At that time, he said to me, “Did you guys really mean it? You have to be serious! Ozawa-sensei said to us, “You have to be serious about what you’re doing! He said, “Even children can understand that. Even if “Fate” is difficult for children, if an adult is serious about it, even if they are children, the audience will feel differently. When the performance changed completely at the next performance, the children’s eyes were totally different. It was an experience that made me realize that you always have to be serious. The Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra holds many music classes for children, so I always wonder if I was able to really do it. The phrase, “Always give it your all, no matter what the performance,” has stayed with me deeply. As a musician, I try to cherish it.
What did the Music School especially train you?
Regarding expression, Mr. Miyamoto really taught me in detail. We started with imitation. I learned the patterns by copying them completely, such as “pull out a little behind this second beat. It’s obvious, but he taught me everything about how you have to listen to the whole orchestra and play with the overall balance in mind.
He also taught me to look further than the score. He would say things like, “I have an image of this diminuendo as a magic hour, like the transition between day and night. I also remember that he told me, “I want you to imagine yourself and the sound flying freely around the venue. Always have an intention, and always think, “This is how I want to blow! I was very angry if I played the oboe in a random way.
The oboe is a difficult instrument to pronounce at the right time, but I learned not to play it safe because I was afraid of that, but to challenge myself just to the very edge, right where I wanted to be. I would lose the sound.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)