Title                                                                    Instrumentation                                      Duration                      Year
Mononoke                                                             Female voice (utai) and cello                 11′ circa                       2018

First performance: 06.09.2018, Shibaura House – 5F –  Tokyo (Japan) – Ryoko Aoki, voice – Seiko Takemoto, cello

Commissioned by Ensemble-no

The piece was written for Ryoko Aoki and Seiko Takemoto, to whom it is dedicated

06.09.2018, Shibaura House –  Tokyo (Japan) – Ryoko Aoki, voice – Seiko Takemoto, cello

Mononoke is a piece for female voice (utai) and cello.
In this work the idea is to represent three of the typical masks used in the Noh theatre – Ko-omote, Deigan and Hannya – in a crescendo of tension.
Each mask is associated to a character which in Noh plays was used to wear this mask to represent a specific role.
The text is taken from Genji monogatari – The Tale of Genji – a classic work of Japanese literature written by the noblewoman and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu in the early years of the 11th century.
The first mask we meet in the piece is the Ko-omote one. The word “Ko” represents the cuteness, youth and beauty, “Omote” means face. The mask conveys the beauty of a girl not yet twenty and, to better show its characteristics, it has been associated to Yûgao.
Later in the piece we meet the Deigan mask, literally meaning “golden eyes”, that takes its name from the application of gold paint (kindei) on the eyes. Gold is not only used for the eyes but also for the teeth, which means that it is a being beyond the temporal world. The mask embodies an attractive woman who reflects resentment and resentment towards a man who has lost love for her. It is a simple combination between demential jealousy and the struggle to contain that emotion that consumes everything. It has been used to represent the doppelgänger of Lady Rokujō in the first part of the chapter dedicated to Aoi.
In the second half of the Aoi chapter Lady Rokujō is associated to the Hannya mask, that is also the last mask represented in the piece. This mask portrays the souls of women who have become demons due to obsession or jealousy. This mask is demonic and dangerous, but also sad and tormented, and shows the complexity of human emotions.
The piece is a sort of inner trip in which we can see the transformation of a woman during her life, according to the plot of The Tale of Genji, passing from a pure, gentle girl to a vengeful spirit.
A different vocality is required to better represent each of these characters.
The cello emphasises the emotional state of the three women by using different technique and timbres and it gives more unity to the piece commenting the different characters.