Silent Ocean by Karen Tanaka

Performed live on March 18th, 2025 as part of Christopher Keach's Faculty Recital, "Songs of Hope and Resilience." Silent Ocean by Karen Tanaka I. Far away, gently II. Love Song, with affection III. Far away, very lightly Piano, Andrew Voelker Program Notes: Karen Tanaka, 1961, is an exceptionally versatile composer and pianist. She was born in Tokyo where she started piano and composition lessons as a child. After studying composition with Akira Miyoshi at Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, she moved to Paris in 1986 to study composition with Tristan Murail and work at IRCAM as an intern. In 1987, she was awarded the Gaudeamus Prize at the International Music Week in Amsterdam. She studied with Luciano Berio in Florence in 1990-91 with funds from the Nadia Boulanger Foundation and a Japanese Government Scholarship. In 2005 she was awarded the Bekku Prize. Tanaka's love of nature and concern for the environment has influenced many of her works, including Frozen Horizon, Water and Stone, Dreamscape, Ocean, Silent Ocean, Tales of Trees, Children of Light and the electronic piece Questions of Nature. Her works have been performed by distinguished ensembles and orchestras worldwide, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. Various dance companies, including the Nederlands Dans Theater, have also featured her music. Tanaka mentions the following regarding the work: “The title Silent Ocean suggests the serenity of the ocean, images of a pale blue and orange color sky blending the sound of the trumpet. It consists of three pieces. The first piece weaves the texture of sounds like waves with combinations of 7/8 and 5/8 rhythms. The second, subtitled Love Song, symbolizes motherhood of the ocean. The final piece suggests reflection of light on waves by the repetitive piano texture while the trumpet sustains long tones and creates various colors using enharmonics.”