Sugata: Peaceful Dance of Two Dragons, etc.

Isotaro Sugata’s compositions may be viewed as a synthesis of several different kinds of Western music, as well as incorporating elements of traditional Japanese imperial music. Inspired by Hindemith, the polyphonic Symphonic Overture is virtually a single-movement symphony. Calling for an orchestra with triple winds and Japanese traditional percussion, Peaceful Dance of Two Dragons is a free and powerful paraphrase of Nasori, a Gagaku dance. Dancing Girl in the Orient, taken from “Sketches of the Desert” is written in the manner of Rimsky-Korsakov and Ketelbey. The ballet music The Rhythm of Life is an idiosyncratic piece in a primitivistic style, where fragments from Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps are combined with Japanese melodies.