THE LAKE KIMTAANKAMUITO
(1992)

Lake Mashu, Hokkaido

The Lake Kimtaankamuito is a chamber piece written by Akira Ifukube in 1992. This piece was composed to express the Ainu's anger and sadness caused by the onset of modernization in Japan. Almost the entire piece is written in lento.

Kimtaankamuito is the mythical Ainu name for Lake Mashu, which is located in Akan National Park in Hokkaido. This lake, famous for its crystal-clear waters and fog, resides in the caldera of a dormant volcano.

The Lake Kimtaankamuito can be performed with soprano, viola and piano or, at the suggestion of the composer, the piano can be replaced with a harp. The words sung in this piece are from a poem by the noted Ainu scholar, Genzo Sarashina.

This work was dedicated to the Japanese soprano, Yumi Aikawa.

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Copyright 2009 Erik Homenick. All rights reserved.