HIGI IX "ASURA" / Akira Nishimura [Concert Band] [Score only]

HIGI IX "ASURA"

Composer : Akira Nishimura

Duration : 11'10"

Difficulty : 5

Publisher : Tokyo Hustle Copy

Delivery time until it arrives at our store : about 3-7 business days

About the Music :

The ninth work in the Higi Series, commissioned by Wind Orchestra Spark and composed between early December 2022 and late January 2023. Each piece in the Higi Series has been given a religious, esoteric, or mythological character. The subtitle of this work is "Asura". The composition was inspired by a Hindu myth in which Asura is one of the main characters. Asuras are in opposition to the deities known as devas, and are sometimes thought of as evil or demonic. The mythology involved in this piece is as follows. "The gods and the Asuras fought over the elixir of immortality, Amrita, created by the churning of the primordial milk sea for a thousand years, and the gods were victorious and gathered to drink it. At that time, an Asura named Rahu slipped in and stole and drank the amrita. The sun god and moon god noticed this and informed Vishnu, the supreme god. Vishnu, enraged, threw a disk weapon called chakram and severed Rahu's head, but Rahu's head, immortalized by amrita, soared to the heavens alive. The head then resented the sun and moon gods who had told it off, and chased it around and swallowed it, causing eclipses of the sun and moon. But alas, because it has no body below the neck, both the sun and the moon it swallows quickly slip through its neck. The cycle repeats itself." This piece does not attempt to portray the story as it is, but the connection to the tune is strong. I hope you will read it freely and express it vividly and boldly. (Akira Nishimura)

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Instrumentation:

Piccolo
Flute 1,2
Oboe
English Horn
Bassoon

Eb Clarinet Piccolo
Bb Clarinet 1,2,3
Eb Alto Clarinet
Bb Bass Clarinet

Bb Soprano Saxophone
Eb Alto Saxophone
Bb Tenor Saxophone
Eb Baritone Saxophone

Bb Trumpet 1,2,3
Bb Cornet 1,2,3
F Horn 1,2,3,4
Trombone 1,2,3,4
Euphonium
Tuba
Contrabass

Piano

Timpani
Percussion 1 (Vibraphone / Xylophone)
Percussion 2 (Tubular bells / 3 Wind Chimes / Snare Drum)
Percussion 3 (Marimba / 2 Sleigh bells / Suspended Cymbal)
Percussion 4 (Glockenspiel / Suspended Cymbal / Tam-tam / 2 pairs of Bongo)
Percussion 5 (Suspended Cymbal / Gran Cassa / 2 Flexatones)