Journey to the West Hayato Hirose

This work was composed in 2016 as a large-scale wind ensemble piece commissioned by the NPO "Wind Band Promotion Network."
The location of Aichi Prefectural Kasugai Minami High School, the premiere group, has a somewhat unusual name, ``Nyoisarucho, Kasugai City,'' which is reminiscent of ``nyoibou'' and ``monkey.'' A song with the theme of ``Journey to the West'' was composed, and later a small wind band version was created by the composer.
The song begins with Son Goku being born from a rock on a volcanic island floating in the sea, and shows how he learns various techniques, how he meets Sanzo Hoshi after being trapped in the mountain, how he is on his way to Tenjiku, and how he is born from a rock. It depicts overcoming hardships and achieving the goals of the journey.

It is written so that it can be played by a minimum of 13 people, but if you play with 15 or 6 to 25 people, you will get a more stable and deep performance. Percussion instruments can be played by a minimum of two people, and one person can play "Timp and Perc.1" and "Perc.2 and 3" at the same time.

(Hayato Hirose)