Symphony No.2 / Three Wasan / Scherzo Con

Qunihico Hashimoto was one of the leading Japanese composers in the first
half of the twentieth century. His synthesis of Japanese and European musical
forms was founded on two years of study and travel in the West. Symphony No. 2
was commissioned to celebrate Japan's new postwar Constitution, but combines
jubilation with an introspective nostalgia. Three Wasan sets Buddhist texts which
describe the beauty of 'pure land' or heaven, merging traditional chant with bel
canto expressiveness. Innovative for its time, the early Scherzo con sentimento
melds Japanese music with Western neo-classicism. Hashimoto's Symphony No.
1 can be heard on 8.555881. Takuo Yuasa regularly performs throughout Europe and the Far East.
In Japan he has held the position of Principal Conductor with the
Gumma Symphony Orchestra and in the United Kingdom he has been
Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
and of the Ulster Orchestra in Northern Ireland.