Aoba Flute Fantasy [Flute Quintet]

This arrangement was commissioned by the Kumagaya Flute Quintet "L'Avenir," based in Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture.
The original song, "Aoba no Fue" (lyrics by Takeki Owada, music by Torazo Tamura), is a shōgakkō shōka (elementary school song) published in 1906 (Meiji 39). It depicts an anecdote from the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani during the Genpei War at the end of the Heian period, involving Kumagaya Jiro Naozane, a great figure from Kumagaya City, and the young Taira no Atsumori. The flute that Taira no Atsumori, a master of the transverse flute, carried with him on the battlefield is known as the "Aoba no Fue."
The opening flute solo and the short cadenza at the end should be played with the image of a transverse flute resounding on the battlefield.
The quintet version was first performed on October 6, 2012, at the "L'Avenir First Concert" by the Kumagaya Flute Quintet "L'Avenir" (Seiji Suzuki, Sumio Kumi, Shinji Hamakawa, Yasuko Mukoda, Yui Itami). It was subsequently revised for publication, and a quartet version was also created. (Toru Kanayama)