Ikuko Kawai's Wuthering Heights

An article that has appeared on the English version of Asahi.com has introduced us to the work of Japanese violinist and composer Ikuko Kawai.

She recently released a CD called Wuthering Heights in Japan (although out of the island it seems to be also known as Duende) that includes a couple of compositions based on Emily Brontë's work and composed by Ikuko Kawai herself.

Now a DVD has appeared in Japan also named Wuthering Heights, with a live version of her work:

You can see this on her "Wuthering Heights" DVD available this month. (Most pieces on the DVD are from the CD with the same title released in December by Victor Entertainment.)

In the work titled "Wuthering Heights," Kawai is on violin, and vocalist and dancer J. David performs. The conflicting emotions of the two soul mates Cathy and Heathcliff, destined for unhappiness, fill the stage with musical sparks. The "Wuthering Heights" album combines Kawai's original works and her arrangements of six songs from movies, including "Last Tango in Paris" and "The Way We Were."

Kawai says Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights" was not initially on her mind when she started preparing for the CD. But it gradually matched what she was thinking about.
"When I was working on what was to become the title song, what went on inside me clicked with the image of the novel--my favorite story. Then I thought of portraying the intense emotions--passion and love--that a woman experiences," Kawai said.

Track 1 - Wuthering Heights (Listen to a sample here)
Track 14- Wuthering Heights - Dear Heathcliff (sample) (DVD real video sample)

Categories: Music, Wuthering_Heights