Selected and reviewed by ANDREW EALES
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Naoko Ikeda: The Graded Collection, for which I had the honour of selecting and editing 24 solo piano pieces by the contemporary Japanese educational composer last year, is already proving a hit with players and other teachers.
Working on that collection involved a deep dive into Ikeda’s work, and the solo pieces in my selection are truly the tip of a tremendous iceberg. But alongside her wonderful solo music, I also discovered that Ikeda has composed a significant body of very enjoyable music for one piano, four hands.
How wonderful that Ikeda has now, with publisher Willis Music Company, curated a selection of 15 of her favourite duet compositions.
The Naoko Ikeda Duet Collection can be seen as a natural companion to The Graded Collection; it will be welcomed by all who enjoy playing together at intermediate level, and who appreciate and want to explore more of Ikeda’s music.
15 Delightful Duets
The composer explains,
“This collection consists of 15 previously published duet pieces. I have had the opportunity to play duets since I was a child, and love composing and sharing the wonder and joy of ensemble playing with everyone. I hope you enjoy traveling to these different musical landscapes with your duet partner!”
The titles she has selected would all suit players around UK Grade 3-5, and include her charming suite The Royal Seven in its entirety, as well as three pieces from her first ever duet collection, Winter Songs. Here is the full list:
- Dance in the City
- Morning Rain
- Central Park Promenade
- Weekend in Paris
- Jam Session
Winter Songs: - Powder Snow
- The Glacial Mermaid
- Silent Light
The Royal Seven - Lady Joker
- Jack of Spades
- Queen of Diamonds
- King of Clubs
- Joker
- Ace of Hearts
- Two of Hearts
This is a happy mixture which showcase Ikeda’s varied musical palette.
The first pieces in the collection are in popular contemporary styles with easy going melodies. The syncopations, musical exuberance and length of these pieces make them perhaps the most challenging in the collection, their memorable tunes a vivid reminder of Ikeda’s persuasive melodic gift.
The three pieces from Winter Songs represent a day in the snow-covered north of Japan where Ikeda was born and continues to make her home; these are personal pieces which (in common with some of the most popular from The Graded Collection) evoke the Japanese landscape and culture.
The Royal Seven offers a set of shorter, slightly easier pieces, suitable at around UK Grade 3 level. These would make an enjoyable project for any intermediate player, or could be shared between seven different duet partnerships to comprise a complete performance.
The Publication
While making a splendid companion to the solo pieces in The Graded Collection, it should be noted that this new publication does not share the particular aesthetics of that book.
The Naoko Ikeda Duet Collection has a standard gloss card cover, and the music is printed on 80 white pages within. Secondo and Primo are spaciously presented on facing pages. Minimal fingering is included, but teachers may want to add more to help their students.
The pieces are not organised in progressive order, and while I am happy to see that six of the pieces in The Royal Seven have been given a larger, clearer music font (why not all seven?), I would have preferred to see these easier pieces placed at the start of the book.
Meanwhile, the Notes from the Composer appear on the final page. These are warmly personable and musically inspiring. Such notes are always welcome, and are happily a regular feature of Naoko Ikeda’s Willis Music publications.
There are no included audio recordings or supporting downloads, and here I feel an opportunity was missed: play-along “minus one” practice versions would certainly have been welcome, as would demonstration recordings to help sell the material.
Closing Thoughts
Despite my slight disappointment with the presentation, the music selections here are hugely appealing, varied, and are more than sufficient for me to give this publication a very high recommendation.
My enthusiasm for Naoko Ikeda’s music is of course well known, and this new compilation of brilliant duets only adds to my conviction that she is among the finest educational composers of our time.
Let’s hope that The Naoko Ikeda Duet Collection will further raise the profile and worldwide popularity of this superb composer’s fabulous music.
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