Dai Fujikura

Dai Fujikura ( Fujikura Dai; born 27 April 1977) is a Japanese-born composer of contemporary classical music.

Biography 
Dai Fujikura was born in 1977 in Osaka, Japan. He moved to London when he was 15 to study at Dover College as a music scholar to complete his secondary education. His initial ambition was to compose music for cinema. Studying the music of Pierre Boulez, György Ligeti and Tōru Takemitsu at Trinity College of Music provoked a gestalt shift: Dai became an aspiring contemporary composer, whose extensive knowledge of cinematography gave his music a fresh, individual voice. Imagining sounds as image produced music with considerable dramatic structure and strength. By the end of his second year he had already won the Serocki International Composers Competition. Before graduating, Dai's music had been broadcast on many European radio stations, won several other prizes, and had been performed by a list of illustrious ensembles and soloists including: Orkest de Volharding, the London Sinfonietta, Colin Currie and Harry Sparnaay.

Despite this fortuitous start, and the strength of early works such as Frozen Heat, Cari4nics and Eternal Escape, Dai wanted to develop his technique. A visit to Darmstadt, where he first heard Japanese traditional music, and a Masters with Edwin Roxburgh at the Royal College of Music helped Dai embrace this musical heritage, composing works like Okeanos Breeze for a mix of Japanese and Western Instruments. Whilst at the RCM he was also mentored by Péter Eötvös, writing Fifth Station for the London Sinfonietta.

This period denotes an important phase in the development of Dai's music. He experiments with spatial separation, a technique where he breaks up the traditional seating of the orchestra, sometimes placing them around the auditorium for both aural and dramatic effect. The first orchestral work using this technique was Calling Timbuktu (2nd prize Takemitsu Competition 2003) has been performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestras. Also he starts to experiment with video, writing teki and moromoro for solo piano and film. Research into spatial separation, and cinematographic musical structures continued at King's College London under George Benjamin, leading to a PhD.

A portrait concert by the Philharmonia Orchestra (part of the RFH Music of Today series with Martyn Brabbins), retrospectives in New York and Chicago, work with Ensemble Modern, Klangforum Wien, and a subsequent major commission for Vast Ocean at Donaueshingen Music Days with Eotvos launched Dai as a major new voice of the European avant-garde.

Pierre Boulez, with whom he first worked whilst writing Stream State for Orchestra (Premiered at the Lucerne Festival, and receiving five other performances in 2006 alone) was a major supporter of his work: Dai was one of only two people asked to write a piece for the official Boulez 80th birthday celebrations at Cite de la Musique (Code 80). Subsequent commissions include two pieces  for Ensemble Intercontemperain, (one celebrating their 30th birthday), a new work for twelve percussionists for the 2006 Lucerne Festival, a major orchestral and electronic work commissioned by IRCAM and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, and a piano concerto for Noriko Ogawa and the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Prizes 
 1st Prize in the Serocki International Composers' Competition (1998)
 The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Young Composers' Award (1998)
 2nd prize in the Toru Takemitsu Composition Award (2003)
 The Royal Philharmonic Composition Prize (2004)
 Internationaler Wiener Composition Prize (the Claudio Abbado composition award) in 2005
 Hindemith Prize (2007)

Performances 

February 2004 "Fifth Station", premiered by the London Sinfonietta, conducted by Martyn Brabbins.

October 2005, Eötvös conducted the world premiere of "Vast Ocean" for trombone, orchestra and live electronics.

September 2005, Pierre Boulez  conducted the world premiere of the Lucerne Festival Academy's commission, "Stream State" for orchestra.

August 2006, BBC Proms debut, "Crushing Twister",

2006, Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s "Music Now" series.

Commissions and performances from Ensemble Modern, Asko Ensemble and Nieuw Ensemble, Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler", Klangforum Wien, OKEANOS, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Peter Manning Camerata, Spoleto Festival, Ensemble Intercontemporain, International Contemporary Ensemble, BIT20 Ensemble, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Works (Selection)

Opera
 The Gold-Bug, children's opera (in English/German) based on Edgar Alan Poe's short story (2018)
 Solaris, an opera based on the novel, with an English-language libretto by Saburo Teshigawara (2015)

Orchestra works 
 Rare Gravity (2013) for orchestra
 Mina (2011/2012) for five soloists and orchestra
 Tocar y Luchar (2010) for orchestra
 Atom (2009) for orchestra
 Ampere (2008) for piano and orchestra
 Vast Ocean (2005) for orchestra and live electronics
 Stream State (2008) for orchestra

Ensemble works 
 Grasping (2011) for string orchestra
 ice (2009/2010) for chamber ensemble
 Double Bass Concerto (2009/2010) for double bass and chamber orchestra
 Phantom Splinter (2009) for oboe, clarinet, bassoon and live-electronic
 Frozen Heat (2008) for 13 musicians

Chamber music 
 Minina (2013) for five instruments
 wind skein (2013) for oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, bass clarinet and bassoon
 being as one (2013) for soprano, bass clarinet and violoncello. Text: Harry Ross
 Phantom Splinter Lite (2009) for oboe, clarinet, bassoon and electronic feed
 String quartett no. 2 flare (2009/2010)

References

External links 
Composer's website
Publisher's website
Website of US distribution partner
Interview with TimeOut London
 

Category:1977 births
Category:21st-century classical composers
Category:21st-century Japanese musicians
Category:Alumni of King's College London
Category:Alumni of Trinity College of Music
Category:Japanese classical composers
Category:Japanese expatriates in the United Kingdom
Category:Japanese male classical composers
Category:Living people
Category:Musicians from Osaka
Category:People educated at Dover College
Category:People from Osaka
Category:21st-century male musicians