CD & DVD

Kotoka Suzuki: Shimmer, Tree (2022)
Starkland Records CD
Available Here on Band Camp

Spektral Quartet: Clara Lyon (violin), Theo Espy (violin), Doyle Armbrust (viola), Russell Rolen (cello)
UMS’n JIP/Javier Hagen (voice)
Cristina Valdes (piano)

“Both surface allure and exquisite detail” – John Chowning
”Delivers to the full” - Vital Weekly
"Release of interest” - Alex Ross
”Music worth hearing, and a name to remember” - Steven Smith, Night After Night

The first CD devoted exclusively to the music of Kotoka Suzuki, “Shimmer, Tree” presents seven works, six of which are premiere recordings. The music ranges from purely electronic to purely acoustic. Suzuki’s “personal aesthetic sense imbues her work with both surface allure and exquisite detail, resulting in subtle, but intricately-constructed structures” (John Chowning).

“Commenting on Minyo, performed by the Spektral Quartet, Suzuki explains: “Minyo consists of five short movements influenced by Japanese folk music. The rawness and authenticity of these melodies make me feel more connected to the place of my birth.” Regarding the heartbreaking Reservoir, Suzuki notes the text “is taken directly from an anonymous post on a suicide blog I stumbled across, which asked for suggestions for the most effective ways and best location to drown oneself. Several members had responded with disturbingly detailed descriptions, others with notes of encouragement.” The title piece, for piano and electronics, is a touching tribute to Jonathan Harvey, Suzuki’s teacher and mentor. The carefully assembled sounds create an elegiac atmosphere, and “the writing for piano is beautifully sonorous and virtuosic throughout” (John Chowning). The delicately shaped sounds of In Praise of Shadows emerge from handmade instruments made from paper and designed by Suzuki. The work mourns society’s loss of the tangible, as modern life shifts from the material world into a digital domain. Automata presents a delightful, slyly witty potpourri of rattles, squeaks, quacks, bells, and more. With subdued, wavering pitches, the miniature Sagisō was composed as a retirement gift for Ingrid Beirer, the former Music Director of the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program. Epiphyllum Oxypetalum was inspired by the composer’s dreams of flying through imaginary landscapes, and the resulting highly-refined sonic palette reflects Suzuki’s command of the electronic music studio. The CD’s minutely detailed sound results from Suzuki’s immaculate, high-resolution studio recordings that were mastered by Grammy-winner Silas Brown.” - Starkland

Mikka & Other Assorted Love Songs - Eric Rynes, violin (2016)
Albany Records CD | ASIN: B01A5PIRCC
Available here on: Amazon.com

Sift - violin + electronics (2001)

Eric Rynes (Artist, Performer). Composers: Pierre Boulez, Elliott Carter, Kotoka Suzuki, Giacinto Scelsi, Helmut Lachenmann, Iannis Xenakis, Joel-Francois Durand, Michael Alcorn, and Theo Loevendie. Format: Audio CD

"The unifying element on this CD is the violin. Its tremendous versatility and long musical history have inspired an enormous number of composers to create works featuring and exploring it. The nine diverse works from the late 20th and early 21st centuries for violin here, together, make for a multi-course meal. Mikka and Other Assorted Love Songs, with its wink to the legendary rock album, aspires to wittiness, but here it's also meant to convey an element of how Eric Rynes conceives of and performs this music. Hailed for his "committed," "intrepid," and "achingly beautiful" performances in diverse styles and genres, Eric Rynes appears in recital, is concertmaster of the Northwest Symphony Orchestra, and has made guest appearances with jazz and rock groups. Primary violinist of the Seattle Modern Orchestra, Rynes has premiered works in Berlin, Havana, Chicago, Barcelona, and Rotterdam, among many other cities. He is a graduate of the University of Washington with degrees in violin and statistical genetics and has degrees in physics from the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois."

INVENTIONEN VII: 30 jahre inventionen 1982 - 2012 (2012)
Ed. RZ 3006-8 | 2CD + DVD
Also available here On Amazon.com
 

Automata | Mechanical Garden - electro-acoustic for originally 16 channels (2010)

Five hours of electroacoustic compositions, recorded during the first 30 years of the Berlin festival "Inventionen." Box set with two audio CDs and a DVD. Includes music by Jonty Harrison, Daniel Teruggi, Hans Tutschku, Francis Dhomont, Gilles Gobeil, Scott Wilson, Kotoka Suzuki, Hanna Hartman, Richard Barrett, Pei-Yu Shi, Kees Tazelaar, Trevor Wishart, Iannis Xenakis, Sukhi Kang, Rolf Enström, Ricardo Mandolini, Takehito Shimazu, and Bogusław Schaeffer. DVD is region free, NTSC format.

Rei Hotoda Apparitions (2008)                            
Signpost Records

Hidden Voices - piano solo (2003)

Apparitions (Rei’s first solo recording) features the previously unrecorded works of nine contemporary Asian composers: Jun Kouda; Toru Takemitsu; Yuji Takahashi; Noriko Hisada; Kotoka Suzuki; Toshio Hosokawa; Chan Ka Nin; Vivian Fung; and Vubcent Ho. 

50 Years Studio TU Berlin - DVD (2005)     
EMF DVD 054 (5.1 DVD)

Umidi Soni Colores - Three videos & 8-channel surround (2002)

This DVD documents the 50th anniversary of the Electronic Studio TU Berlin (Germany). The DVD features "Umidi Soni Colores" (2002) for surround sound and 3 videos, a collaboration work with Claudia Rohrmoser (video), as well as12 other audio and video works by Boris Blacher, Herbert Bruen, Ricardo Mandolini, Unsuk Chin, Franz Martin Olbrisch, Kirsten Reese, Clemens Nachtmann, Orm Finnendahl, Daniel Teige, Hans Tutschku, Robin Minard, Trevor Wishart, and Sukhi Kang/Robert Darroll.

Cultures Electroniques 18 - DVD (2006)             
èditions Imeb, Bourges, LCD 278079

Umidi Soni Colores - Three videos & 8-channel surround (2002)

Bourges 2005 International Electroacoustic Music and Sonic Art Compeition compilation DVD. This DVD includes the last movement of "Umidi Soni Colores" (2002) and works by Miguel Hernandez, Andrea Szigetvari, Ralf Nuhn, Marcelle Deschenes, Luigi Ceccarelli, Mikel Arce-Sagarduy, Stephan Dunkelman, Diego Garo, Arnaud Fabre, Paolo Girol, and Roberto Morales.  

ARTICLES, REVIEWS & BOOKS

“My 2022, Best of and Worst of…” New Music Buff , Feb. 13, 2023.

Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise blog “Nightafternight playlist”, Feb. 12, 2023.

“The Night After Night Archives: Playlists” Steven Smith Oct. 5, 2022.

“The Best Contemporary Classical on Bandcamp September 2022” Peter Margasak Sep. 28, 2022.

“Beauty in Shadows: New albums from Daisy Press, Kotoka Suzuki, and Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir” Van Magazine Sep. 28, 2022.

“For the Record: Sep.16, 2022” Steven Smith Sep. 16, 2022.

“Fall Music Preview ~Experimental” A Closer Listen Sep. 8, 2022.

“For the Record: Sep. 2, 2022” Steven Smith Sep. 2, 2022.

“Three CDs that appeared in the mailbox” Sharps & Flatirons Sep 6, 2022.

Vital Weekely (Number 1349, Week 34) Aug. 31, 2022.

“CityMusic Cleveland: Musical Matrix” (Oct. 2) ClevelandClassical.com Oct 20, 2021.

“Interview with Kotoka Suzuki” Hibiki Project Nov 2021.

“Uniquely Mine" - An Interview with Kotoka Suzuki.” Spektral Quartet Nov 2019.

“World Music Days 2019, Estonia (Part 3).” 5 against 4 May 2019.

"The Versatility and Beauty of Sound Art: Musica Nova 2016 International Competition." Czech Music Quarterly Jan. 2017.

“Mikka and other assorted love songs”, The Strad Issue June 2016

"Palette of sound: Triple CCRMAlite's excursion through time." Stanford Daily Oct. 2014.

"Klangkunstfestival: Die Wellenleiter."  Der Tagespiegel  Jul. 2010.

"Contempo reaches out with 20th century music." Chicago Sun-Times 2007.

"Pacifica, eighth blackbird unleash power of composers." Chicago Sun-Times Jan. 2005.

"After the Blizzard, Pacifica and blackbird that Court." The Chicago Maroon Jan. 2005.

"Contemporary Music Review, An Engaging Mix." San Francisco Classical Voice Mar. 2003.

"Mitos y sombras." Gramma  2002.

"Das Arditti Quartet gratuliert dem DAAD zum 35 Jahr."  Berliner Zeitung  Jan. 2001.

"Die Einheit in der Vierheit Das Arditti String Quartett im Hamburger Bahnhof." Tuxamoon Magazine Mar. 2001.

Helga de la Motte-Haber. Geschichte der Musik im 20. Jahrhundert: 1975-2000, Laaber Verlag 2000.

LOANS

Canadian Music Centre

Selected scores and parts are available for loan at Canadian Music Centre (CMC). 

Email:  library@musiccentre.ca 
Telephone: (416) 961-6601
Fax: (416) 961-7198

Stanford University Library
Yoei - Music Score & CD (1999)            
ML29.1 .S968

Yoei - six percussionists, dancer and compact disc of computer-generated sounds (1999)

"... a dancer ... triggers and controls the electronic sounds in real-time using the five electric sensors that are attached to his/her body. All the computer generated sound sources derive from the sounds of the percussion instruments used in this piece, and similarly, the percussion often imitates the sound of the computer-generated sound of the cd and the dancer"

Includes instructions for performance.