Masataka Hirano
Profile
Masataka HIRANO was born in Kanagawa, Japan, in 1970. He started playing the piano at the age of 3 and the saxophone at 12. After graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1992, he entered the Conservatoire National Superieur Musique de Paris in 1995.Hirano won Unanimous Premier Prix in the saxophone course (1997), in the chamber music course (1998) and in the improvisation course (1999) at the graduation. He has won numerous prizes including the Woodwind, Percussion Competition in Japan in 1990 and the Jean=Marie Londex International Competition in France in 1996. He is the first Japanese saxophonist who won the 1st prize in the international competition. In1997, he played the saxophone concerto "It" by C.Havel with the Orchestra National Bordeaux Aquitaine, which was the world premiere. He also played the concerto by A.Glaznov with Garde Repubriquenne Symphonie Orchestra
Hirano has been active as a soloist in Japan and Europe, performing on TV and radio programs, and recording his playing on discs. His first orchestra piece ¡ÈSeven Tableaux, dedicated to Toshio Arimoto¡É premiere has been performed with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra. This performance was broadcast by the Nippon Television Network, and its CD was released. He plays actively with many famous Jazz musicians including Sadao Watanabe (saxophone) and Yosuke Yamashita (piano).¡¡¡¡ Hirano recently entered into a field of producing music for commercial film and TV drama. His genre-straddling music performing and unconventional approaches have received wide publicity. He also receives high acclaim abroad, and he is invited to Hanover Music Festival in Germany in fall 2005 as only Japanese musician to attend.
Hirano released his debut album as trilogy: ¡ÈMillennium¡É (2000) of contemporary music and improvisation; sessions with jazz players were recorded in ¡ÈJurassic¡É (2001); ¡ÈClassica¡É (2003) is a long-awaited album of classical music. His album won high acclaim on technical magazines and newspapers: highest honor by ¡ÈRecord-Geijutsu¡É, and selected as one of ¡ÈThe best 10 discs of the listening room¡É of Asahi Newspaper. Subsequently he released his own orchestra piece ¡ÈSeven Tableaux¡É (2004, world premier live) and his second Jazz album ¡Èl¡Çair¡É (2005).
Hirano teaches at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, the Elizabeth University of Music, Senzoku College of Music, Toho College of Music, and Hokkaido educational college. He also has improvisation class in Japan at the Senzoku College of Music. He is a regular contributor to the magazines ¡ÈBand Journal¡É and ¡ÈPipers.¡É
Concert
| Date | January 12, 2013 (Sat) 14:00 |
| Venue | Biwako Hall |
| [Performers] Masataka Hirano (Soprano) Takuya Tanaka (Alto) Jun Nishimoto (Tenor) Masanori Oishi (Baritone) [Tickets] All Reserved Seats General ¡ï2,000 Under Age 25 ¡ï1,000 [Information] Biwako Hall Ticket Center 077-523-7136 |
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| Date | February 14, 2013 (Thu) 15:00/19:30 |
| Venue | Hakuju Hall |
| [Performers] Masataka Hirano (Soprano) Takuya Tanaka (Alto) Jun Nishimoto (Tenor) Masanori Oishi (Baritone) [Program] J.S.Bach (arr. Masataka Hirano): ¡ÈPrelude¡É from ¡ÈThe Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1¡É Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV.565 Jesu, Joy of Man¡Çs Desiring Goldberg Variations in G major Others [ Tickets] Regular Seat ¡ï3,000 Reclining Seat (incl. a complementarydrink) ¡ï3,500 [Information] Hakuju Hall Ticket Center 03-5478-8700 |
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Discography
Under constructionPress Review
Under constructionConcert Archive
| Date | November 16,2012¡ÊFri¡Ë14¡§00 |
| Venue | The Phoenix Hall |
| Blue Aurora Saxophone Quartet [Performer] Masataka Hirano¡ÊSoprano¡Ë Takuya Tanaka¡ÊAlto¡Ë Jun Nishimoto¡ÊTenor¡Ë Masanori Oishi¡ÊBaritonn¡Ë [Price] \3,000 [Information] The Phoenix Hall Ticket Center 054-627-3111 |
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| Date | November 10,2012¡ÊSat¡Ë18¡§00 |
| Venue | Yaizu Cultural Center Small Hall |
| Blue Aurora Saxophone Quartet [Performer] Masataka Hirano¡ÊSoprano¡Ë Takuya Tanaka¡ÊAlto¡Ë Jun Nishimoto¡ÊTenor¡Ë Masanori Oishi¡ÊBaritonn¡Ë [Price] \3,000 Under high school students\1,000 [Information] Yaizu Cultural Center 054-627-3111 |
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| Date | July 9,2012¡ÊMon¡Ë18¡§30 |
| Venue | Nikkei Hall |
| Akiko Grace & Masataka Hirano ¡ÁClassic on Jazz¡Á [Performer] Akiko Grace¡ÊPiano¡Ë Masataka Hirano¡ÊSaxophone¡Ë [Program] J.S.Bach¡ÊArr¡§A.Grace¡Ë¡§Jesus bleibet meine Freude J.S.Bach¡ÊArr¡§A.Grace¡Ë¡§Air on a G String J.S.Bach¡ÊArr¡§A.Grace¡Ë¡§Preludes [Price] \3,500 Child\2,500 [Information] Nikkei Muse Salon Office 03-3943-7066 |
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| Date | Sun/12/December/2010 14¡§00 |
| Venue | Radiant Hall |
| Masataka Hirano Classic JAZZ ¡ÚPerformer¡Û Masataka Hirano¡ÊSaxophone¡Ë Akiko Grace¡ÊPiano¡Ë Koichi Osamu¡ÊBass¡Ë ¡ÚProgram¡Û J.S Bach¡ÊMasataka Hirano arrangement¡Ë: Prelude J.S Bach¡ÊMasataka Hirano arrangement¡Ë: Air on the G String Charlie Parker¡ÊAkiko Grace arrangement¡Ë: Donna lee Christmas Songs etc¡Ä ¡ÚPrice¡Û All seats \3,000 Pair \5,000¡¡High students and under \1,000 ¡ÚInformation¡Û Ninomiya Cultural Facilities Promotion Association 0463-72-6911 |
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| Date | Thur/2/December/2010 19:00 |
| Venue | Hiroshima Kenmin Culture Center |
| Masataka Hirano Saxophone Recital< ¡ÚPerformer¡Û Masataka Hirano¡ÊSaxophone¡Ë Kensei Yamaguchi¡ÊPiano¡Ë ¡ÚProgram¡Û J.C. Bach: Flute Concerto No.1 : Brahms: Clarinet Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 120, No. 2 Villa-Lobos: Valsa da dor : Festa no sertao : Sonate-fantaisie) J.S Bach: Goldberg Variations BWV.988- Variatio 26./Variatio 19./Variatio 7./Variatio 30. ¡ÚInformation¡Û Hiroshima Music Appreciation Association 082-234-6262 |
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| Date | Mon/6/September/2010 19:00 |
| Venue | Toyamaken Takaoka Bunka Hall |
| Masataka Hirano Saxophone Recital ¡ÚPerformer¡Û Masataka Hirano (Sax) Kazumasa Matsumoto (Piano) ¡ÚProgram¡Û C.P.E. Bach: Variationen uder die Folie d'Espagne J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 B. Bartok: Romanian Folk Dances Japanese Falk Song: Lullaby of Edo |
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| Date | Sat/19/Dec/2009 19¡§00 |
| Venue | ARKAS SASEBO, Event Hall |
| Arkas JAZZ NIGHT II Masataka Hirano Trio Jazz Concert ¡ÚPerformer¡Û Masataka Hirano¡Êsaxophone¡Ë Akiko Grace (piano) Koichi Osamu¡ÊBass¡Ë ¡ÚTicket¡Û \3,500¡ÊNon-reserved Seat + One Drink¡Ë ¡ÚInformation¡Û ARKAS SASEBO +81-956-42-1111 |
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| Date | Fri/18/Dec/09 19:00 |
| Venue | The Symphony Hall, Osaka |
| Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra ¡ãSpecial Live¡ä ¡ÚPerformer¡Û Masataka Hirano (saxophone) Tatsuya Shimono¡Êconductor¡Ë Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra J.F.Wagner: March "Under the Double Eagle"¡¡Op.159
Arnold: Orchestral Suite "Inn of the Sixth Happiness" Glazunov: Saxophone Concerto in E-flat Major Op.109 A.Reed¡ÊArr. Tatsuhiko Nakahara¡Ë: El Camino Real¡ÊOrchestra Version¡Ë Puccini: Chrysathemums Ravel: Suite No.2 "Daphnis et Chloe" ¡ÚTicket¡Û A¡ï5,000¡¡B¡ï3,000¡¡C¡ï1,500Glazunov ¡ÚInfo&Ticket¡Û Osaka Phil Ticket Center +81-6-6656-4890 |
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| Date | Thu/26/Nov/2009 19¡§00 |
| Venue | Nagaizumicho Bunka Center Verte Foret |
| Masataka Hirano Classic on JAZZ ¡ÚPerformer¡Û Masataka Hirano (saxophone) Akiko Grace (piano) Koichi Osamu (bass) ¡ÚTicket¡Û All Reserved Seats Regular \3,000¡¡ High School or Under \1,000 ¡ÚInfo&Ticket¡Û Nagaizumicho Bunka Center Verte Foret +81-55-989-0001 |
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| Date | Wed/5/Aug/2009 19¡§00 |
| Venue | Gyoutoku Cultural Hall I¡õI¡¢Chiba |
| Masataka Hirano Saxophone Live ¡ÚPiano¡Û Satoru Shionoya ¡ÚProgram¡Û Jazz Arrange Bach Improvization Sonata etc ¡ÚPrice¡Û 1F Reserved Seats¡ï3,800¡¡Pair Seats¡ï7,000 2F Reserved Seats¡ï3,000 ¡ÚInformation¡Û Gyoutoku Cultural Hall I¡õI¡¡ +81-47-701-3011 |
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| Date | Mon/11/May/2009 19¡§30/21¡§00 |
| Venue | JZ Brat SOUND OF TOKYO |
| Chelsea LIVE 6 Chelsea with Endo Seiji TRIO ¡ÚTicket¡Û Advance Sale¡ï4,200¡¡ Concert Day¡ï4,700 ¡ÚInformation¡Û JZ Brat¡¡ +81-3-5728-0168 |
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| Date | Fri/24/Apr/2009 19:00 |
| Venue | Shizuoka Ongakukan AOI |
| Tamiya Concert 2009 Masataka Hirano Saxophone Recital ¡ÚProgram¡Û J.C.Bach. Four Quartet No.1 in C major Op.19 Hindemith. Sonata for Viola and Piano Op.11-4 J.S.Bach. Chorale, Prelude BWV.659 J.S.Bach. Choral from Cantata No.147 J.S.Bach. Goldberg-Variationen BWV.988 ¡ÚTicket¡Û Free Entrance ¡ÚInformation¡Û Tamiya Concert +81-54-286-5105 |
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| Date | Sun 15/Feb/2009 16:00 |
| Venue | Art Tower Mito Concert Hall |
| SAXOPHONES MEET KEYBOARDS ¡ÚPerformer¡Û Masataka Hirano (Saxophone) Yosuke Yamashita (Piano) Marie Nishiyama (Cembalo) ¡ÚPrice¡Û A \4,000 B \3,000 Pair Ticket (A) \7,000 Go on sale at Sat 29/Nov/2008 ¡ÚInfo&Ticket¡Û Art Tower Mito +81-(0)29-231-8000 |
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| Date | Tue 20/Jan/2009 19:00 |
| Venue | Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall |
| Daisuke Mogi Plays Yamashita World ¡ÚPerformer¡Û Yosuke Yamashita (Produce/Compose/Piano) Daisuke Mogi (Conductor/Oboe) Toru Uematsu (Percussion) Masataka Hirano (Saxphone) XUXU (A Cappella Group) Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra ¡ÚProgram¡Û -First Stage- Beethoven: Symphony No.7 in A Major Op.92, 1st mov. Yosuke Yamashita: Chasin' the Phase for Orchestra Daisuke Mogi: Fanfare for Orchestra -Second Stage- Daisuke Mogi: Four Naifla for Oboe and Drum Yosuke Yamashita: Symphonic Poem for Piano and Orchestra<Dancing Vanity> ¡ÚPrice¡Û S \6,000 / A \5,000 / B \4,000 ¡ÚInfo&Ticket¡Û Tokyo Opera City Ticket Center +81-(0)3-5353-9999 |
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| Date | Thu 4/Dec/2008 11:30 |
| Venue | Dai-ichi Seimei Hall |
| Life Cycle Concert Classic Hajime-no-daiippo Vo.10 "Sax" ¡ÚPerformer¡Û Masataka Hirano (Sax) Kensei Yamaguchi (Pf) ¡ÚProgram¡Û Rachmaninoff. Vocalise Villa-Lobos. Sinfonia J.S.Bach. Air on the G string (arrenged by Masataka Hirano) J.S.Bach. Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (arranged by Masataka Hirano) ¡ÚPrice¡Û\2,000 Pair \1,500 (All reserved seat) ¡ÚTicket&Info¡ÛTAN Ticket Desk +81-(0)3-3532-5702 |
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| Date | Sat 11/Oct/2008 18:00 |
| Venue | Hakuju Hall, Tokyo |
| SOLO in Hakuju vol.4 [Program] Improvisation 1 ¡ÁFolia and Improvisation¡Á Lauba Nine Etudes for Saxophones Hard J.S.Bach Suite No.4 in E¢õ major BWV.1010 C.P.E.Bach Sonata for Solo Flute in A minor Wq.132 Improvisation 2 ¡Á Variation for Folia¡Á [Price] \4,000 [Info&Ticket] Hakuju Hall Ticket Center +81-(0)3-5478-8700 |
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| Date | Fri 19/Sep/2008 18:45 |
| Venue | WelCity Hiroshima Hall |
| Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra The 282th Subscription Concert ¡ÚPerformer¡Û Derrick Inoue (Conductor) Masataka Hirano (Sax) Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra ¡ÚProgram¡Û Shostakovich. Festive Overture C.E.Bach. Fulute Concerto (Played by Sax) Clazounove. Concerto for Saxphone Prokofiev. Suite No.1 from /Cinderella/ ¡ÚPrice¡ÛS \5,000 A \4,500 B \4,000 Student \1,500 ¡ÚTicket&Info¡ÛHirokyo Office +81-(0)82-544-2900 |
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| Date | Mon 21/Jul/2008 15:00 |
| Venue | Morino Hall Hashimoto, Kanagawa |
| Saxophone Recital [Piano] Kazumasa Matsumoto [Price] \3,000 [Info&Ticket] Ticket Move +81-(0)42-742-9999 |
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| Date | Sun 8/Jun/2008 15:00 |
| Venue | Philia Hall, Kanagawa |
| Masataka Hirano &Satoru Shioya Concert [Performer] Masataka Hirano Satoru Shioya [Price] S \5,000 / A \4,000 [Info&Ticket] Philia Hall Ticket Center +81-(0)45-982-9999 |
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| Date | Sun 18/May/2008 15:00 |
| Venue | Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara, Hokkaido |
| Sapporo Symphonic Brass 2008 [Conductor] Kazuyoshi Akiyama [Program] Glazunov Alto Saxophone Concerto [Price] \4,000 [Info&Ticket] Kitara Ticket Center +81-(0)11-520-1234 |
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| Date | Sun 25/April/2008 14:00 |
| Venue | Ogaki Sweetpia Center , Gifu |
| Ogaki Music Festival Final Concert [Performer] Akiko Grace Koichi Osamu [Price] \2,500 [Info&Ticket] Ogaki City Cultural Foundation +81-(0)584-82-2310 |
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| Date | Stu 24/April/2008 18:00 |
| Venue | Ogaki Sweetpia Center concert hall, Gifu |
| Ogaki Music Festival Final Concert [Performer] Masataka Hirano, Hiroaki Matsuno, Misato Taguchi, Yuko Ando Yuki Shinozaki, Iwahisa Kuroki, Naoya Otsuka [Price] \2,500 [Info&Ticket] Ogaki City Cultural Foundation +81-(0)584-82-2310 |
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| Date | Wed.12/December/2007 18:30 |
| Venue | Nobeoka Sougo Cultural Center |
| Asahi Beer Lobby Concert Masataka Hirano Saxophone Recital Saxophone, Masataka Hirano Piano, Kazumasa Matsumoto Program, Lauba:Hard C.P.E.Bach:La follia Hindemith:Viola Sonata Op.11-4 J.S.Bach:Excerpts from Goldberg Variations ... Price, Free (Invitation Required) Info&Ticket, Asahi Beer web site |
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| Date | Fri. 7/December/2007 |
| Venue | The Phoenix Hall,Osaka |
| Masataka Hirano Saxophone Recital Saxophone, Masataka Hirano Piano, Kensei Yamaguchi Program, C.Lauba:Hard Hindemith:Viola Sonata Op.11-4 J.S.Bach:From Goldberg Variations ... Price, \4,000 / Student \1,000 Info&Ticket, Phoenix Hall Ticket Center: 06-6363-7999 |
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| Date | Fri. 23/November/2007 18:00 |
| Venue | Concert Hall Shizuoka, Shizuoka |
| Claude Delangle Saxophone Live "Quest" Performer, Claude DELANGLE, Masataka Hirano, Shiro Hatake, Asako Inoue, Sumichika Arimura (Sax) Program, M.STROPPA:¡ÊWorld Premiere¡Ë A.MARKEAS: Perilepsis(World Premiere) P.JODLOVSKY: Mixtion L.NAON: Senderos J.t.VELDHUIS: Grab it M.TADINI: Buleria¡ÊJapan Premiere¡Ë Jummei SUZUKI: Embellie C.DELANGLE : Around¡ÊJapan Premiere¡Ë Price, ¡ï4,000 / Student Under-28 Age \1,000 Info&Ticket, |
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| Date | Thu. 9/August/2007 |
| Venue | Terrada, Spain |
| Masataka Hirano Saxophone Recital Saxophone, Masataka Hirano Piano, Takaya Sano Program, N.N. Price, N.N. Info&Ticket, N.N. |
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| Date | Sun. 15/July/2007 |
| Venue | Lovely Hall, Osaka |
| NANKAI Concert Vol.50 Conductor, Norichika Imori Saxophone, Masataka Hirano Orchestra, Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra Program, Tchaikovsky: Fantasy Overture "Romeo and Juliet" Glazunov: Concerto for Alto Saxophone in E-flat, Op.109 Borodin: Dance Polovtsienne from "Prince Igor" Opera Mussorgsky: "Tableaux d'une exposition" Suite (Orchestra by Maurice RAVEL) Price, \3,000 / "Pair" Ticket \5,000 Info&Ticket, Osaka-phil Ticket Center: 06-6656-4890 |
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