I imagine that most of the people have noticed that the sense of the changing seasons has been fading away lately.
At least, in my childhood days, Japan definitely still had four distinct seasons.
I lived with my family in Aobadai, a quite residential area in Yokohama, and behind our house there was a small undeveloped hill.
It was normal to find wild dogs, raccoon dogs and snakes there.
In the summer, I would go exploring the hill with my brothers to catch cicadas, in spring, we would breathe in the scent of blossoms and foliage, in autumn, we directly felt the melancholy of the season, and in winter, we built snowmen and played when it snowed.
The four seasons have gone away.
It seems that the nature is furious. Heavy thunderstorms, excessive rainfall, and the sad reality of fatal victims.
Nature’s anger can be felt in the massive earthquakes that make the earth groan, and I tremble from fear.
Being a violin player, I am always desperate to protect my beloved Stradivarius Duranty.
This renowned instrument was originally crafted around 300 years ago in the Cremona region of Italy, where the temperature and humidity are constant.
This Duranty has travelled all the way to Japan, where the climate is so different from the dry European climate, and I have been performing concerts with the Duranty, having sworn “I will protect you” to it, yet there are limits to what I can do.
I have been almost neurotic about safeguarding it. As soon as I wake up in the morning, I check how Duranty is doing. I monitor the temperature, humidity and its resonance all through the day to make sure it is in the best possible condition.
Concerts go on as scheduled, starting on the appointed time, even in severe weather.
I must get to the concert halls no matter what happens, and I worry because I cannot take risk exposing the instrument to danger. I watch closely on the weather forecast on the news, making predictions and running through various possible scenarios in my head. Should I leave home early or should I change my methods of transport? What will the hall’s air conditioning be like? Such concerns keep popping up one after another.
Once the concert ends safely, the journey home is another anxiety. The Shinkansen could be suspended due to bad weather, or I might find myself stuck on a train that has come to a standstill. With flights, it could be canceled after arriving at the airport, or it could be turned back even after boarding. Sometimes I have to find somewhere to stay overnight and ask my manger to find a hotel for me in the last minute.
But after having focused entirely on protecting my instrument and the day finally ends, I suddenly recall the smiles of that day’s audience. From the stage, I can actually see the audience’s expression quite clearly.
Faces of the audiences happily smiling and clapping hands with all their might, shouts of “bravo” arising from somewhere, and some people giving me standing ovation……then all of a sudden, my fatigue goes away somewhere into the air.
Nothing could make me happier than being able to bring joy, healing and comfort to the audiences with whom I created the space and time of music together. My heart shakes at the thought of flying to wherever there are people waiting for me, together with my instrument that I always protect.
I tuck myself up into bed recalling the smiles of the audience I saw from the stage.
My body feels heavy and seems to melt, sinking into the depth of sleep, closing the day.
The seasons are vanishing. But……
The seasons exist, in the music.
The beauty of the seasons lies in the worlds of Vivaldi, Debussy and Kreisler, preserved in works of many great composers.
Also……within Japanese songs.
`Koujou no Tsuki’, ‘Yashinomi’, ‘Hamabe no Uta’, ‘Aka Tombo’, ‘Furusato’, ‘Yuyake Koyake’, ‘Kono Michi’ etc. The scenes and landscapes that exist within these Japanese songs will remain “just as they are” forever. The scents of our beloved and nostalgic homeland will stay “there” all the time. Therefore, I will continue to play Japanese Songs (in classical versions).
I will also play the four seasons of the world.
I will go on playing the wonderful masterpieces from all over the world, to retain our beautiful earth.