A composer with numerous awards at home and abroad! Ranking of Akira Miyoshi’s popular pieces

Piano Collection “Bookmarks of Sound,” No. 1: “Little Barcarolle”Miyoshi Akira15rank/position

[Grade B, Modern/Contemporary] Akira Miyoshi: Small Boat Song (2024 PTNA Competition Required Piece) pf. Tomoyo Umemura

Akira Miyoshi is one of the leading composers of contemporary Japan.

With an unusual background—entering the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Letters to study French literature, then studying at the Paris Conservatoire while still enrolled—he left behind many choral works in which his musical talent and literary sensibility are fully displayed.

The first piece from his piano collection “Oto no Shiori” (Bookmarks of Sound), “Chiisai Funauta” (Little Barcarolle), is among his most popular solo piano works.

It is characterized by a gently conversational melody and a beautiful line set against the rhythm of a barcarolle.

Within its brief duration, this gem distills Miyoshi’s delicate musicality to moving effect, making it recommended not only for piano students but for all music lovers.

Piano Four-Hands Suite “Sound Notebook,” No. 1: PreludeMiyoshi Akira16rank/position

Akira Miyoshi: Piano Duet Suite “A Sound Notebook” 1. Prelude pf. Nanako Sugiura pf. Misato Ishibashi

Akira Miyoshi is one of Japan’s foremost composers.

With an unusual background—entering the Department of French Literature at the University of Tokyo and, while still a student, studying at the Paris Conservatoire to further hone his craft—he went on to leave behind a great many masterpieces.

Among them, the piano four-hands suite “Oto no Techō” (Sound Notebook) is a work that condenses Miyoshi’s musical world, renowned for its delicate and deeply expressive style.

The first piece, “Prelude,” is especially striking for its beautiful melody, brimming with expectation and hope, as if heralding a new departure in life, set against an open and tranquil atmosphere.

While retaining a classical structure, it fuses free expression, allowing listeners to fully savor a worldview that is quintessentially Miyoshi.

Berceuse (Lullaby)Miyoshi Akira17rank/position

Akira Miyoshi: Berceuse (Lullaby)

Among the piano works by Akira Miyoshi, a composer who represents contemporary Japan, lie a delicate palette of timbres and a touch brimming with lyricism.

Berceuse is a lullaby-like piece whose gentle melody soothes the heart.

You can sense the composer’s deep insight and rich sensibility infused into each and every note.

Calm yet tinged with nostalgia, its melodies are sure to stir the listener’s imagination.

Why not surrender yourself to the leisurely resonance of the piano during a quiet moment? It will grant you a serene interlude that feels cleansing to the soul.

Violin Sonata (1954)Miyoshi Akira18rank/position

Akira Miyoshi [Miyoshi Akira]: Violin Sonata (1955)

Composed in 1954 when Akira Miyoshi was 20, this work is an important early piece written before his studies at the Paris Conservatoire.

Having received musical training from childhood and influenced by French modern music, his youthful talent finds full expression here.

Consisting of three movements, the first unfolds an elegant melody reminiscent of Fauré; the second opens onto a serene and mysterious sound world; and the third overwhelms the listener with impassioned rhythms and harmonies.

It is recommended for those interested in French music or neoclassicism, and for anyone wishing to feel the energy of Miyoshi’s youth.

Even for listeners new to Akira Miyoshi’s music, this piece offers an excellent entry point to his gifts.

Theme and VariationsMiyoshi Akira19rank/position

Akira Miyoshi: Theme and Variations pf. Nanako Sugiura: Nanako Sugiura

Akira Miyoshi is a composer who represents contemporary Japanese music.

After graduating from the University of Tokyo’s Department of French Literature, he studied at the Paris Conservatory.

Renowned for choral works that fully showcase both his literary gift and musical talent, he also wrote Theme and Variations for piano—a quintessentially Miyoshi piece that employs a wide range of techniques to paint a musical landscape beyond the bounds of the traditional variation form.

Its emotionally rich expression, grounded in meticulous structure, stirs the listener’s imagination and challenges the performer’s sensibilities.

Classical yet somehow new, it allows you to savor a world uniquely his own.

Requiem for Mixed Chorus and OrchestraMiyoshi Akira20rank/position

Miyoshi: Requiem for Mixed Chorus and Orchestra（1972）/ Kazuki YAMADA / TMSO

Akira Miyoshi is one of Japan’s leading composers.

His experiences studying at the Paris Conservatoire had a profound impact on his musical sensibility and helped him establish a distinctive style.

One of his major works, Requiem for Mixed Chorus and Orchestra, is a powerful anti-war piece that embodies the composer’s own wartime experiences and his questioning of senseless death.

With its grand scale, meticulous structure, and profound message, this work is one that should be heard not only by classical music enthusiasts but by all who hope for peace.