This music is a remix arrangement of folk songs in three different languages: Akatonbo "Red Dragonfly" (Japanese: 赤とんぼ), Arirang (Korean: 아리랑), Lonely Arirang (Korean: 홀로 아리랑), and Amazing Grace. You'll hear parts where these tunes overlap one another, and at one point you'll hear all these tunes at the same time (Charles Ives influence). This was my first serious attempt at writing for a large choir, and yes, I do think I was being a bit too experimental with this. Having been influneced by the cultures of Japan, Korea and the West (largely the US), this piece has a personal place for me.
This was originally composed for a 200-person virtual choir (similar to what Eric Whitacre did), where I managed multifaceted team of video producers, audio engineers, and amateur singers across different timezones. I wrote the score, and Harry-san orchestrated it.
Akatonbo, Arirang, Amazing Grace Medley by Tatenori Hamasaka
Year: 2014
Location: Korea
