Aki Takase

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I did "oteawase" (to put hands together i.e. to have a game) with a person whose hands were rather smaller than mine that had always been said to be "so small". It doesnﾕt mean I challenged her to a game but at the party after concert I had a chance to put my hand on hers and had realized the fact. To tell the truth we went on a trip to the dreamland that day, hand in hand. Two pianos are placed in that nice and quiet Aoshima Hall in Shizuoka. I can see the tiny polka-dot drops of notes rise up from Harunaﾕs small and cute hands. I stretch out my arms to put every moment of sound on my palms and keep counting times. They suddenly change into a beautiful big tree with silver leaves on it, which I have seen in Toscana this summer, then an intensive sound begins to shake the earth. After a while the atmosphere is filled with dazzlingly shiny rays, and without hesitation I jump into the water and keep swimming. Tadpoles (musical notes) transform into Siren instead of frogs. Without knowing, the sound of a big tree I have heard turn to be blue-green seaweeds under the sea where deep and quiet wave motions are conducted. Once I have had a look at a book written by Haruna whose title was "Ives wo kiite goranyo (Just listen to Ives)". I remember that on the cover was a picture of Ives and beside it a picture of a mysterious lady in a medieval costume as if staring at the way the sound had gone. There is such a word in German as "Ohrenschmaus". In Japanese it means "mimi no gochiso (a feast for ears)", that is to say a complement for delicious music. So why donﾕt you "just listen to" our concert tonight, and how do you like it ?
　　　　　　　　　
( Translated
　 by Mitsuyo Nishi )