Toshio Hosokawa

Composer (b. 1955) 

Toshio Hosokawa was trained in piano, counterpoint, and harmony in Tokyo. In 1976, he moved to Berlin where he studied composition with I. Yun. He studied under B. Ferneyhough and K. Huber, the latter encouraging him to investigate his musical origins in Japan. A double process, a foundation for his work that borrows as much from Western traditions (he cites Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert as his favorites and knows Nono and Lachenmann by heart), as he does from traditional Japanse music, notably the gagaku.

His works, are often slow, with a contemplative and meditative character and a spiritual dimension constantly preent, are often composed in large series. The themes of an interior journey and connections between humans and nature can be found in many of his works.