One of the works is "Pipa Concerto," created in 1991 by 73-year-old renowned Japanese composer Minoru Miki.

A composer trained in the classical vein, Miki has devoted more than 40 years to preserving and publicizing traditional Japanese instruments along with a variety of other folk and ethnic Asian instruments.

He has been commissioned the world over to produce orchestral pieces, which always reflect his drive to preserve tradition. He has also inspired other younger Asian composers to work to integrate music traditions of both the East and the West.

"I hope to create an Asian identity," he said.

In 1993, when Orchestra Asia was founded by Japanese-Chinese-Korean instrumentalists, he became the Artistic Director and composed folk symphonies: "Den-Den-Den," "Loulan as a Dream," "Pipa Concerto," "Soul 2000" and "Rainbow Overture."

In 2002, he founded Asia Ensemble and gathered together what he calls "the finest soloists of each Asian traditional instrument."

The ensemble launched Miki's new piece "Origin" for the erhu (Chinese two-stringed fiddle), shakuhachi (traditional Japanese bamboo flute), pipa (Chinese), koto (Japanese plucked instrument) and da-sanxian (Chinese plucked instrument).

In Search of Partner

He is still nostalgic recalling how he began creating his "Pipa Concerto."

He said he completed his revolution of the Japanese koto -- making it the most sophisticated of Japanese instruments.

Then he steered his interest towards other Asian instruments. In 1989, he was invited to Beijing to judge the ART Cup International Chinese Instruments Competition. Then and there, "I realized that the pipa was the most improved instrument in the entire long history of Chinese traditional instruments," he recalled.

Over the next few years, he tried without success, to search for an "ideal performer as my partner to drive forward radical movement to create a strong future" for the pipa.

It wasn't until 1996, during the concert tour of Orchestra Asia, that he met Yang Jing -- "a quite attractive pipa soloist who played the pipa part of my new orchestral piece 'Loulan as a Dream' very delicately," he said.

"Only a few of us could speak English, so I had a chance to talk about my own compositions with Miki," Yang Jing recalled.

"Naturally I asked her to let me listen to her playing them," Miki said. "It was an extraordinary moment for me. For example, 'Nine Jade Chains,' her first piece composed when she was 20, describes one line of the famous Tang Dynasty (618-907) poem Pipa Xing (by Bai Juyi) and it is an unthinkable piece.

"Only several years after the end of the 'cultural revolution (1966-76),' who could compose such a sensible and smart piece, I thought!" Miki recalled.

"We talked at length about the future of Asian music. She showed a strong desire to bring our traditional instruments to centre stage, and wanted to learn many things from me," Miki said. "In my experience, there are not many players who have a radical dream."

At the time, Miki was commissioned by the Art Programme of the Nagano Winter Olympic Games to compose a memorial orchestra piece. Without deliberation, he decided to compose a pipa concerto for Yang Jing and Orchestra Asia.

He discussed the proposal with Yang Jing in great detail. "Yang Jing suggested that I compose along Pipa Xing. I agreed with her idea and composed a natural symphonic poem avoiding the so-called usual contemporary music," he said. "I thought, I need to prepare scores not only for Orchestra Asia but also for a Western orchestra to have a chance to perform with such a great soloist."

Since 1997, Yang Jing, the Chinese pipa soloist to whom Miki dedicated his work, has played the concerto in cooperation with a number of traditional Asian and classical Western orchestras in Japan, Europe and the United States.

Together, Miki and Yang Jing have received rave reviews in leading newspapers. Financial Times commented that "Miki's inventive score converses in authentic Japanese tones ... pipa and koto are constant virtuosic voices in the texture..," while Heidi Waleson wrote in the Wall Street Journal that Miki's music was "played exquisitely ...by Yang Jing, who was firmly associated with a particular character."

In an article for Tokushima News, Miki commented that Yang Jing "played my difficult concerto with not only a highly controlled technique but also true musicality..."

Well-versed in a broad range of Asian traditions, Miki has his own ideas about the differences and similarities between Japanese and Chinese folk music.

Traditional and Original

Of course, both Chinese and Japanese have five-tone scales. At first, he thought that Japanese traditional music contained more variety than Han music. But later, he changed his mind when he learned that China has had a multi-ethnic cultural tradition that includes ethnic minorities and a wealth of other elements.

"Both (Japanese and Chinese) music elements should retain their identity like French and German, we even develop more and more," he wrote. "But concerning their customs they have to learn from others to cooperate together."

As for the preservation and development of cultural diversity, he said: "It is the most important treatment to keep a nice balance between the preservation of original shapes and the evolution of tradition. And in future development, we need to keep originalities of each culture."

Throughout his musical career, Miki has kept abreast with the changes in the world. He is not immune to the contemporary world that is driven by the market, money and economic globalization.

He said it is a tragedy that the diversity of ethnic and folk cultures is somehow yielding to the invasion of pop culture, especially American bubble-gum pop culture.

"In the 20th century, American pop culture destroyed European classic and ethnic cultures," he said. However, he contended that "their globalization handled by money is not natural and beyond the limit.

"I believe its life will not be long," he wrote. "For example rock music may disappear suddenly in the middle of this century because of its anti-natural methods. Only Asian variable cultures can relieve them."

He said he works with the best Asian instrumentalists because he believes that is one way to preserve the cultural tradition of the East. "Even mass culture like an orchestra rarely shows me natural truth," he said. "However gifted soloists often inspire and motivate me. They guide me to inventing compositions."

Throughout his musical career, some Japanese critics have described his work as always original and natural, and praised his musical style for not obeying current trends. He said that "not imitating others has kept me young."

"The reason that I have retained my musical career for so long is my love for music," he said.

How has he been able to get commissions?

"Each success delivers new trust," he replied, "and it leads me to new ideas. New ideas sustain new compositions, and lead me to my next success. Through difficulties and even mistakes, if we can keep our way and observe nature, and love others, we can get sudden inspiration. Without any inspiration, we would be unable to complete a master work."

He has maintained his clear conscience about history as well.

"As a Japanese composer who knew the sin caused be Japanese military forces during World War II, especially in China, I am always deeply apologetic to your people," he said.

"I have a strong will to cooperate with the Chinese to create an anti-war society. Endless cooperation shall produce a new Asian identity."

(China Daily February 28, 2003)