(''Twilight Crane''), is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

opera in one act composed by

Ikuma Dan was a Japanese composer. Biography Dan was born in Tokyo, the descendant of a prominent family, his grandfather Baron Dan Takuma having been President of Mitsui before being assassinated in 1932. He graduated from Aoyama Gakuin and Tokyo M ...

after the play of the same name by

Junji Kinoshita was the foremost playwright of modern drama in postwar Japan. He was also a translator and scholar of Shakespeare's plays. Kinoshita’s achievements were not limited to Japan.Kinoshita, Junji. Between God and Man: A Judgment on War Crimes: a Play ...

. Ikuma Dan initially wrote incidental music for Kinoshita's play in 1949. Later, determined to transform the music into an opera, he approached Kinoshita who agreed to release the play under the condition that it was set to music word for word. Dan started composing the opera and finished the work a year later in 1951. The première was held at

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

Asahi Hall on January 30, 1952. Dan revised the opera in 1956 and the revised version premièred at the Zurich Music Festival on June 27, 1957. In 1994, the 600th performance of the opera with the composer conducting the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra was recorded and released by

Columbia Music Entertainment , often pronounced ''Korombia'', operating internationally as , is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as Nipponophone Co., Ltd. It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK C ...

. The opera lasts approximately one hour and fifty minutes. The vocal score is published by

Zen-On Music Company Ltd is a music publishing company based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, in Japan. Zen-On publishes sheet music for sale and rental, including orchestral scores, band and wind ensemble music, solo works and contemporary works, such as Frederic Rzewski's Frederic ...

Roles

Synopsis

The story takes place in an isolated mountain village in ancient Japan. It is winter. The scene is the interior and exterior of Yohyō's snow-covered, straw-thatched hut. The simple-minded peasant Yohyō lives with his gentle and beautiful wife, Tsū. Once, long before, he saved the life of a wounded crane by pulling an arrow from its body. Unbeknownst to Yohyō, the crane assumed human form to become his wife. Tsū loves her husband with all her body and soul. Wishing to make life easier for Yohyō, she secretly weaves a gorgeous cloth from her own feathers. Wrapped in the chaste love of his wife, the simple-hearted Yohyō has forgotten the evils of human greed. The villagers Sōdo and Unzu learn of the valuable cloth and impress upon Yohyō that much merriment and wealth awaits them in the city if his wife were to weave more cloth for which they would be handsomely paid. Deceived by the words of his evil friends and lured by the promise of riches and pleasures, Yohyō urges the reluctant Tsū to weave more of the valuable fabric. Tsū sadly wonders why man is never satisfied with love, always longing for riches. In response to her beloved husband's insistent demands, she resolves to weave another cloth knowing any further sacrifice could be fatal. Overwhelmed and despondent at the thought of her tragic circumstances, Tsū falls unconscious in the snow. Yohyō carries her gently to the fireside to revive her. He does not understand her spiritual suffering. Tsū asks if he still yearns for riches, but Yohyō has become a prisoner of greed and insists that she continue weaving the cloth. Broken-hearted, Tsū enters the back room to finish her work. Tsū returns hovering near death. She hands the magnificent cloth to her husband. Leaving her passionate heart behind, Tsū transforms back into a crane and flaps her way into the snowy twilit night on her final journey. Yohyō realizes that he has lost the priceless affection of his devoted wife. Clutching the precious cloth in his hands, he watches her disappear from sight.

Orchestration

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

s (

piccolo The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...

), 2

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

s, 2

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

s, 2

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

s, 4

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

s, 2

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

s, 3

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

s, 1

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

, percussion (timpani, cymbals, triangle, gong, snare drum, bass drum),

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

and strings

Discography

* 1959: Ikuma Dan conducting the

Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra The is recognized as the oldest symphony orchestra in Japan. It was founded in 1911 and debuted at the original Matsuzakaya store in Nagoya as the . It relocated to Tokyo in 1938. As of 2005, it has 166 members. The orchestra plays frequently a ...

with the Toshiba Singing Angels, Toshiba-EMI * 1994: Ikuma Dan conducting the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, Columbia Music Entertainment (Live Recording of the 600th Performance) * 1997:

Hiroshi Wakasugi was a Japanese orchestra conductor. He premiered many of the major Western operas in Japan, and was honoured with many awards for cultural achievement. He was best known for conducting works by German composers such as Richard Wagner, Anton Br ...

conducting the

Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra The is a Japanese symphony orchestra administratively based in Tokyo. The orchestra primarily performs concerts in Tokyo at the Suntory Hall, but also gives concerts at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. The orchestra also performs in Yokohama a ...

, Victor Entertainment

References

* オペラ『夕鶴』, 指揮 = 團伊玖磨, 東京フィルハーモニー交響楽団, 東芝EMI株式会社 CD liner notes {{DEFAULTSORT:Yuzuru Operas 1952 operas Operas by Ikuma Dan Japanese-language operas Operas set in Japan One-act operas Operas based on plays