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April 30, 2024
 

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Robert Ryker
For Robert Ryker's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
CULTURE / Music
Feb 13, 2000
'Fantasia 2000' live with the Philharmonia Orchestra
The Philharmonia Orchestra: Dec. 27, James Levine conducting in Orchard Hall -- Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: Allegro con brio (Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827); "The Pines of Rome" (Ottorino Respighi, 1879-1936); "Rhapsody in Blue" (George Gershwin, 1898-1937), featuring Ralph Grierson; Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2, Op. 102: Allegro (Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich, 1906-75), featuring Yefim Bronfman; "Carnival of the Animals" Finale (Charles-Camille Saint-Saens, 1835-1921), with Yefim Bronfman and Ralph Grierson; "Pomp and Circumstance" Marches Nos. 1-4 (Edward William Elgar, 1857-1934); "Firebird" Suite (Igor Feodorovich Stravinsky, 1882-1971)
CULTURE / Music
Feb 6, 2000
Tokyo's musical riches are many, mighty and marvelous
The year end is filled with performances of the beloved Beethoven Ninth, known familiarly as the "Choral" symphony, prized for its message of hope in the lofty poetry of Schiller's "Ode to Joy."
CULTURE / Music
Jan 30, 2000
National orchestras bear a standard for small countries
Most advanced nations have found the need and the means to provide their citizenry regular access to the timeless, universal beauties of great symphonic music. National orchestras are found in the capitals of countries around the globe. They are standard-bearers of artistic, intellectual and spiritual enrichment in their societies, and of the cultural traditions and achievements of their nations.
CULTURE / Music
Jan 23, 2000
Ensembles produce refined nuances in lasting, expressive performances
Ensemble. Now there's a word we bandy about all the time in music. A French word, it means "together." In music, it has two shades of meaning. On the one hand, we often speak of good ensemble, or poor, when we refer to the precision of playing together. A musical group is itself called an ensemble: musicians who make music together. We usually think of an ensemble as a small group, but it also may refer to a symphony orchestra, concert band, mixed chorus or opera.
CULTURE / Music
Jan 9, 2000
Tokyo's own Met settles in under new music director
Tokyo-to Kokyo Gakudan, Nov. 18, Gary Bertini conducting in Tokyo Geijutsu Gekijo -- Symphonic Suite "Printemps," Cantata "La Demoiselle Elue" with Emi Suwahata, Satomi Kano and the Shinyukai Chorus; Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun," Three Symphonic Sketches "La Mer" (Achille-Claude Debussy, 1862-1918)
CULTURE / Music
Jan 3, 2000
It's not an easy trick to pick one out of 108 for best of year
It is time once again to look back over some of the most significant events of the previous year, 1999.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 22, 1999
Making sweet music together an educational experience
June 10, Donald Hunsberger conducting in Takemitsu Memorial Hall -- Second Suite in F for Military Band (Gustavus Theodore von Holst, 1874-1934), Fantasy Variations (Donald Grantham, born in Oklahoma in 1947), Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra (Henri Tomasi, 1901-1971; transcribed by Mamoru Nakata) featuring Nobuya Sugawa; "Star Wars" Trilogy Suite (John Towner Williams, born in New York in 1932; arranged by Donald Hunsberger), "Catfish Row" Suite (George Gershwin, 1898-1937; arranged by Donald Hunsberger)
CULTURE / Music
Dec 5, 1999
Mellow, smooth and clear -- classical orchestras fill a niche
Chamber orchestras vary in size, just as people do. A chamber orchestra may comprise as few as 13 (the smallest number that can sound like an orchestra) or as many as 20 string players, plus winds. A symphony orchestra usually musters a string body ranging upward from, say, 35 string players.
When will Japan intervene to support the yen?
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki has reiterated the government's readiness to take an appropriate action as the yen continues to slide against the U.S. dollar.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
Yen rebounds strongly after first slide past ¥160 since 1990
The yen dropped to ¥160.245 per dollar on Monday before heading into the other direction to ¥155.01 amid speculation of an intervention by Japanese currency authorities.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Students ‘study abroad’ on island of Suo Oshima
Students ‘study abroad’ on island of Suo Oshima

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