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(''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. 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 Music School i ...
after the play of the same name by
Junji Kinoshita was a Japanese playwright. He 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 ...
. 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 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
Asahi Hall on January 30, 1952. Dan revised the opera in 1956 and the revised version premièred at the
Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
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.


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

2
flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...
s (
piccolo The piccolo ( ; ) is a smaller version of the western concert flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" or piccolo flute, the modern piccolo has the same type of fingerings as the ...
), 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 type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...
s, 2
clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...
s, 2
bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind 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 virtuosity ...
s, 4
horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...
s, 2
trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...
s, 3
trombone The trombone (, 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 lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...
s, 1
tuba The tuba (; ) is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in th ...
, percussion (timpani, cymbals, triangle, gong, snare drum, bass drum),
harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has 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 orchestras or ...
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 2024, 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 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 and also performs in Yokohama at the Yokoha ...
, 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