MOROI: Symphony No. 3, Op. 25 / Sinfonietta, Op. 24 / Two Symphonic Movements, Op. 22. Naxos 8.557162

Conductor(s): Yuasa, Takuo

Orchestra(s): Ireland National Symphony Orchestra

Considered by many to be the greatest Japanese symphonist, Saburo Moroi wrote five symphonies, the best known of which is the often harrowing No. 3, completed just before the composer was called up towards the end of World War II. With its violent depiction of the fever of war, soulful meditation on the land of the dead, and an overall structure and sound that recalls Beethoven, Franck, Bruckner and Shostakovich, Symphony No. 3 represents the pinnacle of Moroi's creative power. The Two Symphonic Movements teem with extraordinarily motoric and dynamic development, not unlike the best examples of Hindemith.

User Review

"A Japanese composer deserving of much more attention - This is without a doubt one of the finest discs available in Naxos's JAPANESE CLASSICS series. Saburo Moroi was a well-known composer in his day, but after the Second World War he composed little and fell into obscurity. Apparently considered by many to be the finest symphonist in Japanese history, the German-trained Moroi was indeed a true musical talent and this Naxos recording aptly demonstrates this.

The SINFONIETTA IN B FLAT (1943) is a somewhat lighthearted composition, but tuneful and well-orchestrated. Intended as music for children, this SINFONIETTA is a pleasing work that sounds as if it could have been composed by a European in the tradition of Saint-Saens. The final movement is the most

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