Tōru Takemitsu: Between Sound and Silence

What happens when music breathes, when sound drifts like mist, or lingers like falling rain? For Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu, silence was as meaningful as any note. One of the most important voices of the postwar era, Takemitsu drew deep inspiration from nature, composing music that feels both intimate and expansive, rooted in stillness and mystery. 

In Between Sound and Silence, the London Sinfonietta brings Takemitsu’s world to life. You'll hear his beautiful, meditative works such as - Rain Coming, and And Then I Knew ’Twas Wind - alongside music by composers who inspired him, including Debussy, Messiaen, and Webern. Their influence helped shape Takemitsu’s unique sound: rich in colour, alive with detail, yet always deeply human. 

Takemitsu was also a gifted writer and thinker. The performance will include excerpts from his essays, as well as rare video clips of the composer speaking about his work, offering a glimpse into the mind behind the music. A close friend of the London Sinfonietta, Takemitsu wrote some of his finest pieces for the ensemble. 

Step into the stillness and join us for an evening of quiet beauty and reflection. 

Programme includes:

Claude Debussy  Prélude à l'après-midi d'un Faune (arr. Benno Sachs) 

Toru Takemitsu  Air 

Toru Takemitsu  And then I knew 'twas wind 

Olivier Messiaen  Le Merle Noir 

Toru Takemitsu  Rain Spell 

Anton Webern  Three Little Pieces 

Toru Takemitsu  Rain Coming 

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher London Sinfonietta