AKIRA KOSEMURA

MANON (2CD)

通常価格 $15.00
18世紀フランスロマン主義文学の名作「マノン・レスコー」(アベ・プレヴォー原作)を、キミホ・ハルバート演出・振付によって現代にも重なるアレンジを施したダンス公演「MANON」。本公演の劇伴を担当した小瀬村 晶による書き下ろし楽曲、全80分に及ぶ超大作のサウンドトラック。

風の様に天真爛漫で、終いには自分が巻き起こす竜巻に巻き込まれ死を迎えるマノンと、彼女との出会いから運命に翻弄されつつもマノンを愛し続けるデ・グリュー。二人の壮絶な恋愛劇を、時に美しく、時に儚く、そして時に残酷に、運命に翻弄される二人の人生に呼応するように書き下ろされた音楽からは「生きることへの喜びと、生き抜くことへの困難さ」という、現代にも通じる普遍的なテーマへと重なっていく。

前作のオリジナル・アルバム「how my heart sings」は、自身のピアノ演奏に重きを置いた飾らない演奏によるシンプルで美しいピアノ・アルバムだったのに対して、今作では、演奏家に白澤 美佳(ヴァイオリン)、人見 遼(チェロ)、良原 リエ(アコーディオン)、三沢 泉(マリンバ・パーカッション)、高坂 宗輝(ギター)、荒木 真(フルート)、Shaylee(ボーカル)を招き、様々な顔を持った楽曲アレンジを施している。さらには、ギミックの効いた電子音楽や、ノイズ・ミュージックなど、これまでの小瀬村 晶作品では見受けられなかった作風も大胆に散りばめられており、オリジナル・アルバムとはまたひと味もふた味も違った、職人としての側面も垣間みれる充実の作品に仕上がった。
舞台作品のサウンドトラックでありながら、一音楽作品として非常にエキサイティングな聴覚体験が続く全80分、19曲を完全収録。

Akira Kosemura (he/him) is a composer and pianist hailing from Tokyo, Japan. He is a prolific artist, constantly releasing solo albums and composing music for films, TV drama, games, stage, and commercial music.
Akira founded his own label Schole Records early on after his solo album It's on Everything released in 2007 while he was still in school. In 2017 and 2018 Akira's music was ranked in Spotify's "Most Played Japanese Artists/Songs Top 10", and his works have been highly acclaimed on media around the world, including US music media Pitchfork, Australian newspaper THE AGE, French public broadcast FIP, and Canadian public broadcast Ici Musique.
Akira's major score works include Fragments of The Last Will by Takahisa Zeze, the Cannes 2020 featured film True Mothers (Asa Ga Kuru) directed by Naomi Kawase, Hollywood produced drama series Love Is__, the Nintendo Switch game Jack Jeanne produced by Sui Ishida, the TBS drama series Chugakusei Nikki, the contemporary ballet piece MANON, and the Japan Pavilion in Milano EXPO. His music pieces were also featured in the Amazon original movie Jonas Brothers' CHASING HAPPINESS, the Venice Film Festival Golden Lion awarded director Audrey Diwan's debut film Mais vous etes fous (Losing It), and the Toho movie Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare.
In recent years, he has worked on projects in different media such as SK-II STUDIO's documentary The Center Lane (featuring Rikako Ikee), directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, the runway music for a collection from apparel brand TAKAHIROMIYASHITA The Soloist., as well as music for LA MER BLUE HEART, LAND ROVER, and L'OCCITANE. Akira has also co-produced a song with American musician Devendra Banhart.
In addition to his versatility and diverse portfolio, Akira has been working on a world scale. In 2022 he signed a contract with prestigious Decca Records, and the EP Pause (almost equal to) Play was released worldwide. Akira's music was also sampled in John Legend's song "The Other Ones feat. Rhapsody" included in his new album Legend Act I & II. And Akira's first major album SEASONS was released on Decca Records (UMG) on June 30, 2023.

“It feels impossible to get tired of, circumscribed and boundless at once.”
by Pitchfork

“Fantastic stuff.”
by Gilles Peterson

“Peaceful, evocative music”
by Fact Magazine