Axel Retif

Jo-Ha-Kyu

(2018)

Jo-Ha-Kyû is an aesthetic concept applied in a wide variety of traditional Japanese arts and extensively used in the Noh theater. Jo means beginning or preparation, Ha means rupture, and Kyû means quick or conclusion. My intention was not to imitate traditional Japanese music, but to put at my disposal the form of Jo-Ha-Kyû, the Kumoi and Iwato scales. The beauty of Jo-Ha-Kyû lies in the slow evolution of the textures and the changing timbre of the instruments, which differs from the use of contrasting materials of Western music. This work is inspired by the Japanese musical aesthetic, which is not different from nature but part of it.

WORLD PREMIERE
XL Foro Internacional de Música Nueva Manuel Enríquez, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico city, Mexico, 2018
Performed by Cuarteto Arcano

Jo-Ha-Kyu is recorded by Cuarteto Ruvalcaba on Tagma Records catalog “Axel Retif: Sincronías ”
TAG001 – 2021