#1004 『喜多直毅クアルテット：呪詛〜沈黙と咆哮の音楽ドラマ／Naoki Kita Quartette: Curse—A Music Drama of Silence and Roaring』

2018年4月1日2018年5月14日伏谷佳代

2018年３月11日(土)＠東京・中野テルプシコール　／　11th March, 2017＠ Tokyo Nakano Terpsichore

Reported by Kayo Fushiya 伏谷佳代

<出演／performance>
喜多直毅クアルテット／Naoki Kita Quartette
　喜多直毅／Naoki Kita (Music and Violin)
　三枝伸太郎／Shintaro Mieda (Piano)
　北村聡／Satoshi Kitamura (Bandoneon)
　田辺和弘／Kazuhiro Tanabe (Contrabass)

<曲目／programme>
1. 月の星のシンフォニー (部分)　Symphony of the Moon and Stars (extract)
2. 焦土　Scorched Earth
3. さすらい人　 The Wanderer
4. 疾走歌　Speeding Song
5. 孤独　Solitude
6. 昭和(泥の川) 　Showa (Muddy River)
7. 峻嶺　Steep Peaks

アンコール：ふるさと　 My Hometown

技巧的な練達ぶりについては、このユニットにとってもはや繰り返すまでもないだろう。あるグループが熟すとき、こなれ感や自然さがにじみ出てくるのは自明だが、今回の「沈黙の咆哮の音楽ドラマ」で特筆すべきは、流麗なプレイの只中で日常で蓋をされた領域が呼び覚まされる、祈祷にも似たエネルギーの濃縮度、その静かな漲りである。柔らかくもタイトで、隙がない。

呪詛—その言葉が示唆するとおりの、音による拘束力。解放ではなく、深い余韻で絡めとる音楽である。あわ立つような優美さと紙一重の無の深淵、劇的な高揚の狭間に介入してくる寂寥のフラッシュバック、歩みを掬う「いま」への爪痕、緻密さの集積が突如豪胆に化ける起爆力、等々。それらを突き詰めれば、聴き手のひとりひとりが内に抱えこむ逃れ得ない風景が見えてくるかもしれない。記憶やヴィジョンへ誘う導線を担うのは魅力的なメロディの力に他ならないが、純度の高い名フレーズが楽曲の随所で伏線を張る。また、それを囲み引き立てるノイジーな音の轍 (わだち) は、肉体と楽器との境目を撹拌し、重心を反転させてはうねりを上げる。うたかたの酔い、澄みゆく空気の推移から氷塊のクラッシュまで、組んず解れつ切り替わるシーンの連結。個々の演奏家のエッジィな部分が共振しては勃興する音の気配、香気。彼らの音楽は全員の総和でなく相乗で成り立っている。ラストの「峻嶺」は、このクアルテットを語るときに今後も欠かせない代表曲になるだろう。(*文中敬称略。伏谷佳代)

There is no need to mention virtuoso dexterity any more when describing this extraordinary gathering of four players. As a group approaches maturity, it is self-evident that a mellow and natural feel arises; however, regarding their recent “A Music Drama of Silence and Roaring,” the point deserving of special mention is the degree of energetic concentration the players bring to bear, similar to the focus found in a fervent prayer, which, sitting right in the midst of such elegance and rhythm, reveals to us a realm usually kept hidden in daily life. Flexible but tight and with no cracks in their performance.

The title “Curse” – just as suggested by this harsh word, demonstrates the binding force of their sound. It is not liberation, it is a music that entangles with deep lingering tones. The depths of the void lying one step beyond a hair-raising elegance; desolate flashbacks intervening in the spaces between dramatic exaltations; a desperate holding to the “now” resisting any forward movement; and a triggering force suddenly transforming an accumulation of intricacy into boldness. When these elements are closely examined, a certain something internally retained by each listener, a scenery inescapable may be glimpsed. It is nothing but the power of attractive melodies that leads and invites the listener into their memories and visions, but the high-purity of excellent phrasing foreshadows at every turn. Moreover, the rut of noisy sound that surrounds and emphasizes them stirs the boundary between the body and the instrument, and inverts the center of gravity, sending it surging ever forward. From the intoxication of effervescent bubbles, the quiet shift of crisp air, to the crash of a heavy block of ice, we experience the dramatic interconnection of changing scenes locked in a fierce and powerful struggle. Each musician’s edgy parts resonate and rise to power, hinting at the signs and fragrances within the sound. Their music is a synergy, rather than the simple sum total of all members. The last piece “Steep Peaks” certainly stands out and will be the most important and indispensable work, when talking about this quartette. (Kayo Fushiya)

＊Photo:＠Shibuya Koen-dori Classics, November 2017；(from left) Shintaro Mieda, Kazuhiro Tanabe, Satoshi Kitamura, Naoki Kita