The 29th Takefu International Music Festival

The annual Takefu International Music Festival was held this year, too. The festival was held from September 9th to 16th and it was the 29th to be held. During the festival, not just daily concerts but also workshops and classes by world-class musicians were held.

I went to its opening concert held at Echizen Cultural Center on September 9th, 2018.
The concert is sort of introducing musicians who play in the festival, so each of them played the piano, violin, cello, saxophone, flute, and sang one or two songs each.
It was a rich and diverse program.

The opening number was "Love's Greeting" by Elgar. Some of the other songs played were Brahms' "Hungarian Dances"and "Lullaby", "Liebesleid" by Kreisler. They played not only familiar songs but less familiar, more contemporary ones too, so it was really a varied concert.

Kansai Airport had been closed due to Typhoon No.21, so a few of musicians from abroad changed their flights and managed to arrive at the center just in time. They did not reveal a trace of such troubles, and I was able to sense their serious attitudes and concentration from the stage. (H.S)