曲名にある「ザシキワラシ」とは、岩手県を中心に東北地方に伝承されている屋内に出没する妖怪を指しています。赤ら顔でおかっぱ頭の子供の姿で現れるそうです。
座敷や蔵に住む神と言われ、家人に悪戯を働く、見た者には幸運が訪れる、家に富をもたらすなどの言い伝えがあります。
曲はとりわけ明確なストーリーに基づいているわけではありませんが、ザシキワラシが現れる前の衰退した田舎の風景や人々の心情を表現するところから始まり、夜中になってザシキワラシが突如出現する場面を経た後、衰退していた田舎が見違えるように繁栄し曲は幕を閉じます。
大編成を想定して作曲していますが、比較的厚めにオーケストレーションをしているため中編成でも演奏が可能となっております。様々な団体に演奏して頂きたい1曲です。
なお、この作品は私の故郷である岩手県を拠点に活動している音楽アーティストで、私の音楽の原点でもある「姫神」の星吉昭・星吉紀の各氏に捧げます。(下田和輝)
This piece was commissioned by fostermusic Inc. and composed in 2021.As the sequel to the wind orchestral piece "DaJa," which was published six years ago and won the JBA Shimotani Award, this piece was inspired by my hometown of Iwate Prefecture.
The term "ZashikiWarashi" in the title of this piece refers to a spirit living in houses that is based on folklore in the Tohoku region, especially in Iwate Prefecture. It is believed to take on the appearance of a child with a red face and bobbed hair.Said to be a divinity that lives in parlors and storage rooms while performing pranks on the house's residents, this spirit is believed to bring good fortune to those who see it and even bring wealth to the family.
Although this piece is not based on any specific story, it opens with scenes of a declining rural town and depicts the emotions of its residents prior to the appearance of the ZashikiWarashi. The piece then ends after the sudden appearance of the ZashikiWarashi in the middle of the night, which transforms the declining rural town into a prosperous place.
While this piece was composed for a large orchestra, its relatively rich orchestration allows it to be performed by a mediumsized orchestra as well. I hope that many different groups will have the chance to perform this piece.
This work is dedicated to Mr. Yoshiaki Hoshi and Mr. Yoshinori Hoshi of "Himekami", who are music artists based in my hometown of Iwate, and who are also the origin of my music.
We cannot accept orders for international shipping from this site. Please contact us before ordering.