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Yomiuri Shimbun
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Tadaaki Otaka's Family Legacy Adds to a Fascinating Concert with YNSO; Venerable Conductor Performs Father's Composition and Bruckner Symphony
©Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra / Photographer: Takashi Fujimoto Tadaaki Otaka conducts the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra at Suntory Hall in Akasaka, Tokyo, on May 27. Tadaaki Otaka conducted the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra (YNSO) at Suntory Hall in Akasaka, Tokyo, on May 27, in a subscription concert with an intriguing program featuring a rarely performed gem by his father, composer-conductor Hisatada Otaka (1911-51), as well as Anton Bruckner's magnificent Symphony No. 9. Otaka, now the honorary guest conductor of the YNSO, served as the orchestra's principal conductor from 1992 to 1998. The internationally famous 77-year-old maestro is particularly loved in Britain, where he was the principal conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales from 1987 to 1995; he is now its conductor laureate. He kicked off the concert by conducting, for the first time, his father's composition 'Eine symphonische Phantasie 'Steppe'' ('the steppe: a symphonic fantasy'). The elder Otaka studied music in Vienna and became one of the most sought-after composer-conductors in Japan in the 1930s. He completed 'Steppe' in June 1943, and it was first performed for the radio in May 1944, followed by a performance at Hibiya Kokaido hall in Tokyo three days later. The word 'Steppe' in the title refers to the vast grassland of Mongolia. The elder Otaka tried to mix East Asian sounds with Western music by using pentatonic melodies and subtly nuanced harmonies somewhat reminiscent of Impressionist music. Indeed, it is a fascinating little piece full of lyricism and orchestral magic. According to the concert's program, he made notes on the music at the beginning of the original copy of the score, which can be summarized as follows: The great wilderness sings the song of eternity in serenity even though the times change, then a huge cloud of dust paints the sky a yellow brown, a reminder of nomadic people making great migrations before becoming a major military force. Before long, they disappear in the distance, and the grassland regains its eternal serenity. The symphonic poem develops more or less in accordance with this text. The music solemnly starts with the cellos playing a low C. The strings gently portray the grassland at peace, before being joined by the woodwinds, then the brass section, adding motion. After several transitions into more lively sections, including a march-like movement, the music repeats the first section and ends in tranquility. The orchestration of the piece, which features solo parts by many instruments, is proof that the composer was a gifted colorist of orchestral sounds. The fact that it was composed at a time when World War II was raging, and that Mongolia was the scene of some of the fighting, spurs the listener to imagine the composer's fascination with the impressive landscape of this distant, exotic, independent grassland. The elder Otaka conducted Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 two months before his premature death at the age of 39, when Tadaaki, his second son, was only 3 years old. Thus there is a family connection between the two works in the program, which with Otaka Jr.'s conducting made for an artistically rewarding concert. From several different versions of the symphony, Otaka Jr. chose the Cohrs edition, by German conductor-musicologist Benjamin Gunner Cohrs, published in 2000. This time, Otaka opted not to conduct the fourth movement, which was left unfinished when Bruckner died in 1896. The YNSO responded well to the slightly built conductor's direction. He elicited from them sounds that were powerful but carefully controlled to keep them from becoming bombastic. The first movement was full of dynamism and a fine balance of orchestral sounds. The oboe solo in the middle section was beautiful. The rapid and rhythmical second movement scherzo was particularly exciting. And the third movement adagio, which is Bruckner's musical statement of faith in God and music, was sensibly handled by Otaka. The audience loved the performance and refused to stop applauding, even though Otaka let the musicians leave the stage after just one encore. The humble and popular conductor finally returned to stage, all smiles, and took a deep bow.
Telegraph
09-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Why now is the time to visit otherworldly Turkmenistan
In light of the closure to tourism of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice on Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the five Stans of Central Asia have more kudos than ever. Already renowned as key stops along the historic Silk Road – the ancient trade route linking China to Europe, including the UK – these destinations are also prized for their dramatic landscapes of steppe, mountains and deserts, as well as their rich cultural heritage, blending regional Islamic traditions with post-Soviet architecture and revival Of all the visitable Stans, Turkmenistan is considered the least Westernised, least visited (with just 15,000 foreign visitors annually) and most secretive. However, the recent announcement that the country will do away with the formalities of a letter of invitation, to be replaced with an e-visa (when and how has yet to be clarified) slightly reduces its quirkiness – but it will make arranging a visit less onerous, especially for independent travellers. So what's in store for those who hop on the six-hour flight from London Gatwick? The capital, Ashgabat (population: just over a million), has been rebuilt in the last two decades with profits from the country's considerable gas reserves. Historic sites, canals and old trees have been removed to make space for kitsch-meets-bling mega-monuments, bombastic government palaces and sleek high-rise apartment blocks. In 2013, Guinness, ever on the lookout for daft new records, declared Ashgabat to have the 'highest density of white marble-clad buildings in the world'. The statistic claimed is 48,583,619 square feet; whoever measured it deserves a Guinness entry for dodging Turkmen security. The main drag, Bitarap Türkmenistan Şayoly, had 170 marble buildings at the last count. Some of the buildings and monuments are otherworldly in their scale and conception. The Wedding Palace is a 410,000 square-foot registry office topped by a disco ball inside a frame of eight-point stars. The Arch of Neutrality is a rocket-like tripod with lifts up its splayed legs and awesome views of the city's Brasilia-style roads and general whiteness. The Gypjak Mosque can accommodate ten thousand worshippers, and houses both the Koran and the Rhunama, or Book of the Soul, written by the first post-USSR president, Saparmurat Niyazov – nicknamed Turkmenbashi or 'Head of the Turkmen' – who closed all libraries and hospitals outside the capital and proscribed ballet dancing, beards and the word for 'bread'. A huge monument to the pink-edged, green-jacketed Rhunama is found inside Independence Park. Ashgabat has the world's largest ferris wheel, its largest equestrian statue (Ahal-Teke horses, as once gifted to Queen Elizabeth by Nikita Kruschchev) and used to have the world's highest unsupported flagpole (until Egypt unveiled an even bigger erection). It's also reported that as many as 90 per cent of the cars on its roads are white – owing (depending which source you choose to believe) to a rumoured crackdown on all cars of other colours in 2018, to former-president Berdymukhammedov's alleged personal preference for white vehicles, or to the fact that the colour is considered to be lucky. The Tolkuchka bazaar (also known as Altyn Asyr Bazaar), a 20-minute drive from downtown Ashgabat, affords visitors a glimpse of older Turkmen ways. Its shape is meant to resemble a Turkmen carpet and while it's only the fifth largest in Central Asia, it covers 250 acres. Stalls sell spices, fake Rolexes, livestock, carpets, souvenirs, vegetables and fruit. Melons are a specialism; Turkmenistan has a crossbreed muskmelon called the Turkmenbashi melon. The second Sunday in August is National Melon Day. Turkmenistan is twice the size of the UK, almost as big as Spain. It has more than three thousand miles of railways, including lines to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, Iran and Russia, and the 336-mile Trans-Karakum Railway across the desert of the same name. The most celebrated 'sight' here is the Gates of Hell gas crater at Darvaza, burning since the Eighties when someone took out a match to prevent the emission of poisonous gases caused by a gas field's collapse twenty years earlier. A long, Milton-esque stairway in a cave at the foot of a mountain leads to the Köw Ata Underground Lake, where you can swim in sulphurous waters. Ancient Merv is a Unesco World Heritage site, a repository of 4,000 years of history and 'the oldest and best-preserved of the oasis-cities along the Silk Route in Central Asia '. Nokhur cemetery in southern Turkmenistan contains tombstones decorated with mountain goat horns – believed by the Nokhuris (who claim to have descended from Alexander the Great's soldiers) to protect against evil spirits. Animism, Islam and Zoroastrianism are routinely melded, causing some traditional Muslims to take umbrage at Turkmenistan's bespoke approach to theology. The country is dotted with photogenic rock-scapes. Yangykala Canyon is the one that you see most often on promotional material, with its striated limestone walls rising out of an ancient seabed. Turkmenistan is a de facto one-party state with no serious opposition permitted. Should that put anyone off? Only if you also want to discard China, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Eritrea; the US is a de facto two-party state and is more likely to go in the other direction than to suddenly announce a trio of options. Turkmenistan has some of the slowest and most tightly controlled internet – positive messaging only is firmly encouraged – which is, of course, a major issue for locals. Youtube, WhatsApp and Facebook are blocked. There's no roaming. All in all, it's also an excuse for tourists to switch off and forget screens and report back on their experiences once they get home. Essentials For the time being, a letter of invitation is required (though this will be retired with the introduction of the new e-visa); tour firms will usually take care of the red tape. The FCDO also advises, 'while Turkmenistan doesn't require COVID-19 vaccination, all travellers must undergo a COVID-19 test upon arrival, which costs about 31 US dollars'. The five-star Yyldyz Hotel has doubles from £234 per night.
Reuters
16-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Louis-Dreyfus family sells Russian agricultural firm at 'big discount', Interfax reports
MOSCOW, March 16 (Reuters) - Steppe Agroholding acquired full control of RZ Agro which it had previously shared with members of the French family of global grain merchant Louis Dreyfus, Interfax reported on Sunday, citing a source familiar with the deal. "This is logical that Steppe took over RZ Agro, it was expected. The deal was closed some time ago, now the management has changed in the company. The 'divorce' with the French partners was amicable," the source said. The deal size was unknown but it was done at "a big discount", the source told Interfax. Steppe, owned by the Russian conglomerate AFK Sistema ( opens new tab, declined to comment on the report, Interfax said. RZ Agro controls, manages and cultivates agricultural land, focusing on grains and oilseeds production, and currently operates on an area of over 100,000 hectares of arable land in Southern Russia, according to its website. Trading and food processing firm Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) has been winding down operations in Russia since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
