Faulstone Hollow

'..an imaginative concert from Japanese and English masters, bringing together some of the two countries’ rising musical stars.'

Mifune Tsuji and Kyoko Hashimoto gave the World Première of Faulstone Hollow for Violin and Piano at the Chapel of Robinson College, Cambridge on February 6th 2002 as part of the Japan 2001 celebrations.

"Faulstone Hollow, to be found in the Chalke Valley, is for me a place of contemplation and almost spiritual feeling. It holds a remarkable balance of light and shade, the tranquil and the mysterious. But it has an underlying edge that gives me a nervousness and fear of the unknown. And this holds the essence of these short pieces. From the first bars, when the sun literally bursts over the Hollow, a texture of shade and coolness underpin the textures. Oddly, the wildlife seems to have the same air of unrest. For them it is probably the hunters, for me it is the town planners." - MS

Mifune Tsuji Mifune Tsuji is a graduate of the Tokyo University of the Arts. During studies at the graduate school there, she was active as leader of the Tokyo Solisten, as well as giving concerts and recitals, notably on NHK television and radio.

Her first Tokyo recital in 1974 was highly successful and resulted in an invitation from Alberto Lysy to join the International Menuhin Academy and become a member of the Camerata Lysy. She performed as soloist with the Camerata in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and the Philippines.

She has studied under Toyoko Hattori, Tatsuo Uzuka, Yoshio Unno, Alberto Lysy, Yehudi Menuhin and Rustislav Dubinsky. In 1977 she won a prize in the Reina Sofia International Competition in Madrid. Soon afterwards she took up residence in the Netherlands and became concertmaster of the Caecillia Consort. She has been active in the Netherlands, giving successful solo recitals and concerts.

Her solo repertoire focuses on modern music: this includes pieces by Xenakis, Cage, Berio, Feldman, Takemitsu, Rai Altena, Koenig, Andrissen and Nyman. She has performed world premières for some of these composers in major festivals throughout Europe. She is currently concertmaster of the Xenakis Ensemble.

Reviews

"She’s a wonderful violinist allying technical mastery with an exceptional musicianship. She’s a really velvety interpreter of traditional and today’s European music."
Iannis Xenakis

"I had thought the only musicians who could play my music authentically were those with whom I had worked for years. I realised my error as soon as I heard Mifune Tsuji lead the Xenakis Ensemble in a wonderful performance of my work." Michael Nyman

"To Mifune, with friendship and gratitude for her work."
John Cage

"Mifune Tsuji gave unconditional proof of her outstanding talent. Her warm intonation in Bach’s Second Partita was a perfect foil to her excellent technique."
Geert van den Dungen