Otaka, Hisatada

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Otaka, Hisatada

Otaka, Hisatada, Japanese conductor and composer; b. Tokyo, Sept. 26, 1911; d. there, Feb. 16, 1951. While still a teenager, he studied in Vienna. Following composition lessons with Pringsheim in Tokyo (1932–34), he returned to Vienna and studied with J. Marx (composition) and Weingartner (conducting) at the Academy of Music (1934–38); he also studied privately with Franz Moser. In 1940 he returned to Japan. From 1942 until his death he was conductor of the Nippon Sym. Orch. in Tokyo.

Works

orch.:Sinfonietta for Strings (1937); Japanese Suite No. 1 (Budapest, Nov. 8, 1938) and No. 2 (Vienna, Nov. 3, 1939); Midare (Berlin, Dec. 10, 1939); Cello Concerto (Tokyo, May 23, 1943); Rhapsody for Piano and Orch. (Tokyo, Dec. 10, 1943); Fatherland (Tokyo, Oct. 22, 1945); Sym. (1948); Flute Concerto (Tokyo, March 5, 1951). chamber: Violin Sonata (1932); 2 string quartets (1938, 1943); Piano Trio (1941); many piano pieces. vocal: Songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire