Yūji Takahashi (高橋 悠治) is a composer, pianist, critic, conductor, and author.

Biography

Yuji Takahashi studied under Roh Ogura and Minao Shibata at the Toho Gakuen School of Music. In 1960, he made his debut as a pianist by performing Bo Nilsson's Quantitäten. He received a grant from The Ford Foundation to study in West Berlin under Iannis Xenakis in 1962 and stayed in Europe until 1966, also stayed in New York under Rockefeller Foundation scholarship until 1972. He founded 'Suigyu Gakudan' (Water Buffalo band) in 1978 as introducing international protest songs, starting from Thailand, mainly performing Asian songs, also published monthly journal 'Suigyu Tsushin'.

Selected works

Selected discography

Yuji Takahashi has over 100 Japanese releases to his credit.

As pianist

The complete works of Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern and Alban Berg, music by Messiaen (solo pieces, also Visions de l'Amen with Peter Serkin), Iannis Xenakis, John Cage, Rzewski, Na, Cornelius Cardew, Takemitsu, the Indonesian composer Slamet Abdul Sjukur, Earle Brown and Roger Reynolds. J.S. Bach's The Art of the Fugue (BWV 1080), the E minor Toccata and the complete Inventions and Sinfonias; two volumes of Satie's solo piano music; a Sonata of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach and Marche et Reminiscences pour mon dernier voyage of Rossini.

As conductor

Music by Iannis Xenakis, José Maceda, Sofia Gubaidulina, John Zorn and Edgard Varèse.

Suigyu Gakudan

Award