Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music will host Dr. Naoki Hakutani, assistant professor of music at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, in a guest piano recital April 16. The recital, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 7:30 p.m. in McBeth Recital Hall on Ouachita’s campus.

“I am excited to see that Dr. Hakutani is bringing us an interesting program with many music styles and different cultural influences,” said Dr. Lei Cai, associate professor of music. “I hope our students will be inspired by his performance and some of the fresh musical ideas as well from the recital.”

Hakutani started playing piano at age six and has been performing ever since as both a soloist and collaborative pianist.

The recital will consist of five pieces. It will begin with two different Souvenirs of Bohemia in the Form of Polka composed by Bedrich Smetana. Hakutani said that the pieces are “wonderful representations of the Polka,” which is the national dance music for many parts of central Europe. Smetana was one of the foremost composers in the Czech Republic during the 19^th century and is often referred to as the “father of Czech music,” Hakutani said.

Next, Hakutani will perform Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude by Franz Liszt. This piece is the third piece from Liszt’s cycle for solo piano, Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, or poetic and religious harmonies. “It is a remarkable achievement in pianistic color, texture and emotional expression,” Hakutani said.

The next pieces are Litany and Rain Tree Sketch II, both composed by Toru Takemitsu. Takemitsu is an internationally acclaimed, Japanese avant-garde piano and film composer. Mostly self-taught, he was largely influenced by Western music but later began to appreciate his own Japanese heritage. These two pieces represent the “symbiosis of his western influences with his Japanese heritage,” Hakutani said.

The recital will conclude with Five Haiku, composed by Paul Dickinson. Dickinson is a native of Conway, Ark., and a professor of music at the University of Central Arkansas. He wrote this piece when his wife requested some short piano pieces with Asian influence. The piece also reflects Dickinson’s interest in birds and nature. “I am especially interested in how the Five Haiku will sound because it sounds very unique in different venues and on different pianos,” Hakutani noted.

For more information about the recital, please contact Dr. Lei Cai at [email protected] or (870) 245-5140.

By Sydney Phillips