Senzoku Gakuen College of Music Orchestra 90th Subscription Concert 2026.6.13

Senzoku Gakuen College of Music Orchestra
90th Subscription Concert at Senzoku Gakuen Maeda Hall

Mozart / Symphony No. 31 in D major, K. 297 (300a) "Paris"
Gershwin / An American in Paris (Original Version)
Prokofiev / Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, Op. 100

Conductor: Ken Takaseki

The concert hall closest to my home is Senzoku Gakuen's Maeda Hall. It's about a 15-minute walk from my house.
Concerts by Senzoku Gakuen students are usually free, so I sometimes drop by to listen.
This time, Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5 was the main piece, so I was looking forward to that as well. It's a piece I performed myself relatively recently... though it has already been two years.

Overall, it was a very good performance and I enjoyed it. Thank you very much.
Mozart was good, but Gershwin was even better. The moderate (not overdone) stylishness was pleasant, and the resonance of both the wind and string instruments was rich, which raised my expectations for the Prokofiev.

After the intermission, Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5
was a wonderful performance that exceeded my expectations.
Even in the fortissimo tutti sections, the harmony remained clear and beautiful. I was overwhelmed by the massive sound at the end of the first movement. The quiet beauty of the third movement makes me feel a prayer for peace amidst chaos. (This piece was written in 1944 during wartime.)
The beautiful fugue in the final movement, which seems to walk toward glory, and the finale that rushes to the end—even the final chord made me think, 'Ah, so this is what such a cool sound was like.'
We couldn't quite replicate that when we performed it (^ ^; but I listened to it deeply while remembering the time I played it.

It was two years ago that I performed it, but it somehow feels like it was much longer ago. I sometimes wonder if I really played such a difficult piece. (Whether I actually played it well is another story...)
By the way, I should have played Mozart's "Paris" relatively recently (seven years ago) too, but I can't remember the piece or the feeling of playing it at all.

Returning to the topic, the four-tone taxi horn used in Gershwin. It seems it belongs to the conductor, Mr. Takaseki!? It was loud and had a great sound! It was the best 'American in Paris' experience I've ever had, as if I were truly in the hustle and bustle of a city where taxis come and go.

Mr. Takaseki seemed to be giving very detailed instructions on nuances. Contrary to his stout appearance (no offense), he was delicate, light, and agile. I enjoyed listening to all three pieces.

As is the trend in middle and high school wind bands these days, the percentage of female wind players is increasing, isn't it? On this day, about 70% of the wind players were women.
But seeing delicate, small girls nailing harmonies on brass instruments is just adorable (*´д｀*)

I sat in a front seat on the left side to study the violas carefully again this time.
I was struck by the beauty of the bowing this time. Not just the violas, but the violinists as well. Accurate and quick string crossings, uniformity in up and down bows—I realized that beautiful bowing, as natural as breathing, is the foundation of string instruments. I learned a lot.