Seconda ballata Andante rapsodico

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Description

This work, composed in 1943, was dedicated to the memory of the composer's brother, Isao Ifukube. Isao, a military scientist, met an untimely death in December 1942 when he was exposed to radiation while studying fluorescent paint.

Ifukube submitted this piece to an orchestral competition sponsored by the Japan Victor label and won first prize along with the Education Minister's Award. On September 4, 1943, Ifukube recorded Ballata Sinfonica with Japan Victor, a concession for winning the first prize of that label's contest.

Compared to Japanese Rhapsody, which is scored for triple woodwind, and Triptyque aborigène, a chamber work for 14 soloists, Ballata Sinfonica is written for a normal-sized orchestra with woodwinds in pairs. This was due to the wartime difficulty of staging works for a larger than normal orchestra; Ifukube had to be as "economical" as possible when orchestrating Ballata Sinfonica in order to assure that it could be easily performed.

The composer once said of Ballata Sinfonica: "I wish to evoke the melodies not yet sung but which dwells in us, the Japanese people. The first movement emphasizes the rhythmic side and the second movement is the cantabile side."

The first movement, "Prima Ballata: Allegro capriccioso" is in sonata form with a distinct and energetic first theme presented outright in tutti. A much calmer, almost lonesome second theme then appears with an oboe solo.

The second movement, "Seconda Ballata: Andante rapsodico" was originally intended as the first movement of Japanese Rhapsody (1935) with the title "Jongara Dance". Jongara is a drinking song from the Tsugaru region south of Hokkaido. The second movement starts with a melancholy oboe solo. The movement consists of slow dance rhythms and traditional-sounding melodies.

Ballata Sinfonica made its public premiere on November 20, 1943. This first performance was played by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kazuo Yamada.
-Akiraifukube.org