Üben & Musizierren May 2006, page 66 / Ronald Fische (Translated from the German by Helen Eisenman)

Music for the accordion does not have an established classical tradition to which it can refer, as exists for other instruments. Lacking this framework, the criteria essential for an exemplary musical artwork can not easily be fulfilled by the composer. So, the Tokyo born and New York resident, Akemi Naito, chose the most direct path: she realized that the sound and tone production principles of the accordion have certain similarities to the Japanese mouth organ Shô (free-vibrating piercing tongues produce the sound as in the accordion), has been used in the court music of the Japanese Emperor (Gagaku) since the start of the eighth century, and its precursor the Chinese Sheng, which originally appeared in the Shang-Dynasty (1766-1122 B.C.) . Along with South American influences and contemporary European music, this is by far the oldest musical tradition to which the accordion can be related, as, for example, the Japanese composer Toshio Hosokawa demonstrated so convincingly in Melodia (1979).

But Naito chose yet a totally different path with her musical language. In Sanctuary she develops a certain spirituality, emanating from calmly, slowly evolving sounds that seem to evoke an echo of the past. These crescendo-like increasing harmonies and cluster-like tonal structures seem like arpeggios in slow motion. Sometimes their range is broad, sometimes it is narrow, sometimes they seem solid, sometimes they seem loose, and occasionally also melodic. Sanctuary hardly ever develops as expected, and development in the sense of motifs is barely apparent.

Again and again there are rhythmic, tonal or, although more seldom, melodic surprises. These, however, are only intensely perceived if the listener or performer submerges himself completely with ears and spirit in this deep journey. And herein lie difficulty and the challenge of this piece: to allow the development of a differentiated sound universe, which, although it uses European tonal language and notation (everything is notated in bars), nevertheless requires a contemplative mindset in order to experience it. “However the world may change or technologies progress, this remains an unchanging foundation, one which is always my starting point. Sound has its own energies and my method is to weave them together. Sound breathes and shapes itself into a musical work.” (www.akeminaito.com)

Technical and therefore musical difficulties present themselves for the left hand in the five-part sounds. They can only be produced with an instrument with large bass knobs; or else one distributes the notes of the left hand (bass side) to the treble side, which then, naturally, changes the sound balance. The transitions among the multi-voiced sounds can also present problems. Here the performer has to maintain the tension between the endings and the constantly renewing build-up of sounds — along with changes in intensity.

This work does not speak directly to the listener. It retreats into itself, as it were, and thereby provokes attention and curiosity. Presumably, one can predict therefore, that Sanctuary will not fall victim to the zeitgeist, but will take its place on the list of renowned works of demanding accordion literature.

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