Music connects all the arts,” says Tomoko. “Think of the TV
show Dancing with the Stars.” On a personal note, Tomoko’s daughter is a
professional skater, and her lifelong experiences with music have helped her
perform gracefully.
“Music can be like an art project,” Tomoko relates. “Composers
combine instruments to create a unique sound. How do you balance the
composition? Tomoko continues, “Color of the tone is most important.”
Tomoko makes another connection, “When you read about a composer’s life, you can examine his rhythm more fully because you know its context.” Such study goes the other way too. “After you enjoy Chopin’s etude 25 #1 melody, you will enjoy the movie about him more. When you see the countess in the movie, well-dressed and peaceful, she will remind you of the etude.”
In 1968 Tomoko visited a friend in Florence. There she
visited a Medici house, which served as a museum. Seeing a harpsichord there, Tomoko
asked, “What does it sound like? May I use it?” The owners let her play Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier (Vol.I) in C# major BWV 848. “On the other hand,” says Tomoko, ”it bothers me when the
museum has background music. You need to choose which art to focus on.”
