Mieharu Karaoke Baton: 'Helios' In-Story Song Version!

I have been honored to receive
the Mieharu Karaoke baton!

Drumroll please!
Thank you so much!

The details are here.

Lately, I haven't even been able to visit
various other noters to leave comments,
and I feel terrible about that,
but I was aware that this karaoke baton project
was gaining momentum.

The person who passed the baton to me
is Chainner-sensei.

I love the Beatles, too.
My eight-year-old little one loves Yellow Submarine,
and sometimes asks me to play it.

I also like the era when John was going through a lot.
Like 'Hold On'.
Some people say that the Beatles
fall into the category of classical music.
In other words, they must be immortal.

So, now it's my turn, but

as some of you may know,
I am currently completely absorbed in writing
a super self-indulgent novel,
and my head is full of that,

so I would like to introduce the songs I used in this work.
I can already imagine some people
turning away right here... haha.

The work (novel) is a story about a love triangle
between Nagi (a girl), who was born into a prestigious koto family
and is the next head of the family,
her arranged marriage partner Koki, a violinist,
and Nagi's apprentice, Yusei.

Since the story features a lot of music,
I've been living and breathing music for the past few weeks.
It's mainly classical music,
but there are so many good songs when you dig them up, aren't there?

No, no, you might think,
'Aren't those unsuitable for karaoke?'
But surprisingly, you can hum along to them.

Along with the music,
if you have the interest and the time,
I would be happy if you read my work as well.

The work in question is here ↓

Here you go!

1. Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43

This is the Rachmaninoff piece that appears repeatedly,
that Koki played on YouTube,
and that Nagi was always concerned about.

It's so sweet!!
I looked for a few different recordings,
but Kyoko Yoshida's performance
sounded the most romantic and closest
to the impression of Koki's performance,
so I borrowed this one.
The part where it goes from high notes to low notes,it's incredibly enchanting.

2. Michio Miyagi: Haru no Umi (Spring Sea)

If you hear the koto playing during the New Year,
this is likely the song that comes to mind.
This is a precious recording from 1932
featuring Michio Miyagi on koto and Renée Chemet
on violin.

This is the 'Haru no Umi' that Nagi played on the day of their arranged marriage meeting,
and then later performed in ensemble
with Koki on violin for their YouTube video.

Can you hear the seagulls flying?

3. Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18

These selections are hardly suitable for karaoke anymore,
but this is a song I love and often hum to myself.
I listened to it especially often while I was pregnant.

This was the background music playing
when Koki and Nagi went to a restaurant in Ginza.

I couldn't decide whether to introduce the piano version
by Hayato Sumino or Kyohei Sorita.
Sumino-san plays with more lingering pauses,
while Sorita-san plays with a better tempo.
They're both so good... I can't choose, so I'll introduce both!

4. Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen

This is the virtuoso piece Koki played on YouTube.
I was torn between this and Paganini's Caprices,
but Himari Yoshimura's performance
from when she was 8 years old is wonderful, so I chose this.
...She's the same age as my little one...

5. Kono Oto Tomare! Original In-Story Song: 'Kuon' (Eternity)

This song doesn't appear in the story,
but this is the image of the song that Yusei and
Nagi's other direct disciples will perform
at the August concert. Visually speaking.

Oh, I haven't posted about the August concert on note yet, have I? 💦

'Kuon' only has one 17-string koto,
but in the story, Yusei and the others perform with two 17-string kotos and five kotos.

I was really into the manga 'Kono Oto Tomare!' for a while.
It seems there are stage plays and anime now.
This time, I listened to 'Kuon,' 'Tenkyu,' and
'Ryuseigun' from this manga
many times and used them as references.

That is all.

Well, I would like to pass the baton to the next person, but
lately I have been very neglectful on note,
only posting my creative work
and hardly visiting anyone else's page,
so I apologize, but this time
I would like to declare myself the anchor.

Chainner-sensei & Mieharu-san,
thank you once again
for organizing this project!✨

It would be fun
if this became an annual event!

#MieharuKaraokeLateSummerVersion