Joji Yuasa, Kuniharu Akiyama

This is volume 2 of Omega Point's Obscure Tape Music of Japan series. Hitomi-Za is an experimental puppet theater group that still exists today in Japan. This recorded performance took place from February 13-17th in 1962 at Sogetsu Kaikan Hall. The program consisted of three parts, and Joji Yuasa, Kuniharu Akiyama and Naozumi Yamamoto composed background sound for each part. This CD consists of two works made from magnetic tape from among the performances. This is the world premiere release of both works. Music for "Moment Grand-Guignolesques": "...all the puppets were made of cutting out thin and filmy paper, which gave me an idea of using all kinds of sounds out of various kinds of paper for this composition musique concrète. The sound of tearing newspaper, of crushing brown paper and of shutting a thick telephone book, etc., were used as sound materials. --Joji Yuasa. "Noh-Miso" (A Brain) was composed by Kuniharu Akiyama (1929-1996), well known as a modern music critic, but also a composer of tape music (for example, soundtracks to experimental films and animation, tape music for John Cage's 75th birthday and more). "Noh-Miso" was the second part of this Hitomi-Za performance -- a combination of music concrète and the modulated sound of inside-played piano by Yuji Takahashi.