Episode 118 — June 3, 2021
Ryan Francis: “Tri Cantae” for piano
Performed by Akimi Fukuhara

Pianist Akimi Fukuhara first learned composer Ryan Anthony Francis’s Tri Cantae ten years ago, and for her House Music series video, she celebrates the anniversary of the piece with a cozy home recording. In the ten years since she first performed Tri Cantae, she’s grown and changed her approach to it. When she plays the piece now, she finds freedom in the notes, allowing them to ring as long as they possibly can. She likes to create a slow, mysterious atmosphere by using her pedal to elongate the pitches she plays to seemingly infinite amounts. These techniques highlight the meditative and unconventional feeling of the music, which takes its inspiration from both the electronic duo Autechre and the music’s three rhythmic layers.

Fukuhara worked with Metropolis in 2010 and 2011, when she was living in New York. Working with the group allowed her to expand her musical palette to include performances outside of the traditional classical canon. She remembers using synthesizers for the first time with Metropolis and playing on nontraditional spaces, like a darkened stage. These experiences opened her mind about what could constitute a musical experience, and remain special to her.

Fukuhara has an intimate relationship with Francis’s compositions. The two musicians first met while studying at The Juilliard School, and Fukuhara has been premiering Francis’s works in Japan since 2009. In fact, she first performed Tri Cantae for a Tokyo recital in 2011. Fukuhara recorded this version of Tri Cantae from her practice room, using a warm light that usually sits next to her father’s Buddhist altar to create ambiance.

Notes by Vanessa Ague

 
House Music: Bite-sized concerts recorded at homes around the world

In 2020-21, we created a weekly video series featuring short-form concerts of newly-commissioned works, supporting 208 artists around the world during the pandemic.