Atsuko KOGA / Flute Solo, Magdeburgische Philharmonie / Magdeburg, Germany

Graduated from Toho Girls' High School Music Department.Graduated from the Paris National Conservatory of Music with a unanimous first prize.The school's Towajiem Seacle is over.Completed the National Performer Course at the University of Music Munich.Winner of the Bucharest Junes Musical International Competition, Paris Lutez International Competition, Paris Crunell Competition, Maria Canals International Music Competition, Cartanisetta International Duo Competition, Rome TIM International Competition, 2nd place, and many other Trapani International Competitions.Recitals in France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Morocco and Central America.He has been the chief and deputy chief of the Junge German Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hoff Symphony Orchestra, and the Weimar State Opera. Since 2001, he has been a soloist of the Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra and has appeared on television and radio mainly in Germany and France.Performed with the Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Mitter German Chamber Symphony Orchestra, Viramjka Ensemble, Paris CNSM Orchestra, Bucharest Junes Musical Symphony Orchestra, Kyushu Symphony Orchestra, etc. In 2008, he co-starred with members of Magdeburg Phil as a soloist in about 15 locations in Germany.Received the 2008 Best Performance Award from the German Rotlinger Publishing Company.

Koga I started playing the piano at the age of four, and when I was in the upper grades of elementary school, I started playing the flute with a recorder.I went to a high school in the music department of Toho Gakuen, and after graduating, I entered the National Conservatory of Music in Paris.So I studied for 4 years in a regular music course and 3 years in graduate school.After that, I went on to the Cologne University of Music in Germany, and while I was still in school, I started working by signing annual contracts with orchestras such as the Junge German Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hoff Symphony Orchestra.Currently enrolled in the Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra, where he focuses on chamber music and solo activities.

It is the influence of my father Koga.I really like classical music and I always played a lot of records.That's why I've always listened to classical music since I was a kid, and when I went to bed, I always used a classical cassette instead of a lullaby.Also, my mother was playing the piano sensei.

Koga Piano was an environment where someone was always playing in the house. Starting the piano at the age of 4 means that I have properly attached to sensei other than my mother.Since I was a baby before that, I somehow let me play the piano.

Koga When I was playing the piano, I already wanted to be a musician.But I didn't particularly want to be a pianist.When I was in elementary school, I played the recorder, so the song I was playing on the recorder saying "I want to play this song" happened to be a flute song.The piano sensei who noticed it recommended, "You should try the flute."I don't remember, but I think I played the recorder even in front of the sensei on the piano.

I was about 11 years old because I was in the upper grades of Koga Elementary School.Even though I started, I wasn't practicing properly at that time, and I wanted to do it as a hobby.I also insisted on my parents, "I'm doing it as a hobby," and "I can't go to lessons anymore when I can understand only my fingers and make sounds."However, I wanted to become a flutist before I knew it.

Koga I don't remember how old I was, but I decided that I would become a musician when I got the hang of it.When I watched TV and the conductor looked cool, I was fantasizing about whether the conductor would be good or the composer.Every time I said something, my mother told me that because it was a sensei for the piano, "No matter what I do, the musician has to play the piano, so practice the piano properly."

When I entered Koga Toho Gakuen, I think it was because a flutist listened to my flute and recommended it.

Koga No. He was active in Switzerland until about 10 years ago, and recently returned to Japan and is quite active in Japan, but he happened to know his father and came to visit his house.At that time, he listened to my flute and said, "You should go to the National Conservatory of Music in Paris when you leave Toho's high school."My parents listened to it and bought me something like a flute magazine.The magazine featured many people studying flute at the National Conservatory of Music in Paris at that time.After seeing that, I gradually became more and more eager to go to the Paris National Conservatory of Music after graduating from high school.Also, when I was in high school, a flutist named K, who was successful in Paris, was given a Meister class, which was a big inspiration.

Koga Yes, I took it.He was a very friendly person, and he gave me various advice besides the lessons.

Koga Toho's piano sub-department teacher also actively recommended studying abroad.My flute teacher didn't recommend studying abroad so much, but he was a successful person by staying in Japan, so I think it was realistically thought that even if he went abroad, he would rarely succeed.Sensei, a sub-department, was a successful person who studied in Germany, and he pushed me from playing the piano, saying, "You should definitely go abroad."After that, he accompanied me to my flute competition, both primary and secondary, and pushed me further, saying, "Your performance will definitely be received by foreigners."He bought me a book for study abroad and took care of me.

Koga That's right.

Koga No.The National Conservatory of Music in Paris was a school that flutists longed for, and it seemed like it was shining at the top of the world.So, at first, I had a strong desire to go to that school rather than to attend any sensei.All of the top flutists of all time are those who have left there or are professors, so anyway, as a flutist, it's a place I admire.

Koga.One sensei told me that his disciple is currently studying abroad at the National Conservatory of Music in Paris, and he wrote a letter to give me information about the school.According to it, there are only two professors, Alain Marion and Michelle Devost, so I attended the seminars of both professors over two summers.So, I tried which sensei suits me through the summer class.I was deeply moved by Professor Deposto's lesson from the beginning, and on the spot I said, "I want to enroll in the National Conservatory of Music in Paris and follow you."

Koga I think that is inevitable.At first, I went to Professor Marion's class, but the lessons weren't the same, and they didn't go together at all.I think it is very important to choose a sensei that suits you.Especially when you're a teenager and you get a sensei that doesn't suit you, it can be quite confusing mentally.The European method is usually very different from that of Japan, so it is desirable to have a teacher who can firmly and patiently grasp the foundation at first.

I had to find the Koga apartment myself, and I was practicing, and I was often kicked out because of the annoyance. I have moved more than 10 times.Sometimes I couldn't find my apartment right away, and sometimes I just rolled into my friend's house and slept, and practiced at school.But when I was a teenager, I thought it was like this, and I had a high ambition, so I didn't think it was too difficult.

It wasn't Koga.At first, I was desperate to take the exam at the National Conservatory of Music in Paris.The first apartment I entered was an attic with a shared toilet, no bath or shower, and I went all the way to rent a public shower at the nearby Saint-Lazare station.I managed to wash my hair in a small kitchen.At that time, I thought that was the case, but when I think about it now, I think I was living that way.

Koga Food is anything in Paris.

Koga: I've just graduated from high school, so I hadn't really thought about things like I don't like Japanese food.Besides, Paris is not a country that is homesick with food because it has a lot of delicious food.Rather, I sometimes think that I want to eat Japanese food since I came to Germany.

At Koga Toho Gakuen, I used to speak French as a second foreign language.Immediately before studying abroad, I went to the Japanese-French Academy because I wanted to study a little more properly.During the months from graduating from high school to studying abroad in the summer, I took a three-hour course five times a week.

Koga I didn't need it at the time, but what about now? (Editor's note: It is mandatory to submit language skills from the 2009 exam.) Germany was not necessary at that time, but it seems to be necessary now. (Editor's note: (as of November 2008) Some schools in Germany require the submission of proof of language proficiency, while others do not. However, it is expected that all schools will need it in the future. .).At that time, the National Conservatory of Music in Paris was completely practical.Now, according to the story, there are also tests such as listening.

Koga Studying French music in Paris was great because I really learned a lot from the city.However, when I played German music in France, I still had the feeling that it was light ... until the end, and I wanted to study German music in Germany for a while.At that time, a German sensei named Andras Adriyan happened to come to our class in Paris several times, and by that time I was about to graduate from graduate school. Can you study for you at school? " Adriyan was a professor at Kunitachi College of Music at the time, and he intended to go from Paris because Cologne and Paris are 4-5 hours by train.He was fluent in French, so he was grateful to be able to study German in French.However, shortly after I entered the school, Adriyan moved to a school in Munich, and when it came to Munich, I couldn't go to school while living in Paris.

Koga Moreover, many times from my teacher, "If you play French music, I feel that people who can speak French do not play French music, but when you play German music, it is still Japanese or French. It feels like it's blowing, even though it's blunt. " "If you want to study German music properly, you have to speak German," he says.He himself is very good at languages ​​and can speak any language.So I ended up moving to Munich.At first, I had the impression that Germany is more rural than Paris and the city is less attractive.

Koga At first, I had some resistance and thought that I didn't want to live in such a place all the time.Moreover, I had regular concert opportunities in Paris, so I thought I would definitely return to Paris someday.However, from the beginning, there were many situations in which Germans were enthusiastic, such as actively traveling with Germans in chamber music and joining the Junge German Philharmonic Orchestra for young people.Even though I can't speak German, many people say "I like it! Let's do it together again!"Germans are kinder to people who can't speak German than French.French people make a fool of themselves when they can't speak French, and I'm proud that France is the best, so I feel that foreigners are a little cold.In that respect, Germans speak English hard when they try to speak hard, and they also kindly teach German.When I realized it, I was addicted to Germany trying to do my best here.

Koga First of all, the scenery is completely different.France has not been destroyed by the war, so the old streets still remain.Also, I think the color of the sky is the most beautiful country in the world.Italy is also deep blue and beautiful, but in France the colors change steadily in the morning, day and night.I have never seen such a change in the sky in Japan.Even on a cloudy day, the area around the Seine has a special atmosphere that makes you feel that this is the spirit of Paris, and there is a very clear and beautiful space like walking in the country of fairy tales. There is.I can't explain what that is, but I think the artistry of the people who made the city with all their heart is alive.Especially for the color of the sky, one painter said, "This is French blue, which is unique to France."The colors are so different depending on the time you see the scenery, so that you can understand the meaning of various painters living in France, and that is always the picture.That's something that Germany doesn't have.That's why I think French music is extremely colorful.

When I brought French things to Koga Deposto's lesson, he said, "French music is a color. You will understand it because you have lived in Paris for a while. The colors are completely different every day in the morning and in the afternoon. Probably. Make that color a sound. "I realized that the tone is the life of French music.Also, there are phrases that can be understood in the city.When I walk in the streets of France, I don't feel like I'm walking so much, and I get the impression that it's flying fluffy.French music phrases are a bit melancholy and sad, as they don't really touch the ground.So, the phrase seemed to continue without interruption, and I thought it came from the city of France.

Koga Debussy, the musician who created the Impressionists, interacted with French Impressionist painters such as Monet.French Impressionist music has a lot of elements that come from the sense of painting.German music is completely different, it's harmony music.As soon as I cross the German border, I feel like I'm getting heavier, and I actually feel like I'm walking step by step.German music has a well-structured harmony, and the beginning and end of the phrase are clear.Even if the musical spirit continues, the phrase cannot be interrupted, and the tempo is heavy.And what is contained in music is a deep human spirit rather than a sense of color.Anyway, the playing style is completely different.Also, in terms of humanity, Germans are a people who think deeply about various things.Many French people forget the story they talked about yesterday, and I felt that they could live happily on the spot.Many Germans are stubborn, thinking that they don't have to think so much, and once they say it, they are very serious.That's why German music is in the most important position in classical music because it has a solid foundation such as Bach and Beethoven.

Koga: Every time I took a lesson, I was told, "Why do you connect phrases so much? I didn't want to cut it so much," but as I gradually became more aware of the harmony, I began to understand the meaning. ..At first, when I was doing chamber music with a German, I felt that my tempo was too fast and I would jump out in front if I wasn't careful.
Even now, when I co-star with a German and a French person, I often have a hard time with the sense of tempo and phrase.However, the Germans were willing to accept my performance, which has a different style.I felt the Germans were the size of the vessel, which accepts different things.
Of course, you can immediately hit it off with a performer who has similar sensibilities, regardless of nationality.

Koga The education of the Paris National Conservatory is like a "solist training center", and the focus is on increasing the repertoire and sending it to competitions to win prizes. , It was a place to acquire the courage and dexterity as a performer by co-starring with an orchestra.In Germany, lessons for orchestra entrance exams are the main lessons, and there are also scenes where sensei wants to do pedagogy for students who have difficulty in doing so, so it was an education aiming for a realistic employment.

Koga Paris National Conservatory of Music can be admitted if it passes the entrance examination even if sensei is not decided, but in Germany, if sensei is not decided from the beginning, even if the score of the entrance examination is the best I've heard that if any sensei says he won't take this child, he won't.

Koga Yes.If the professor has a clear intention to take this child, a certain passing score is required, but it seems that each professor often takes the student he wants to take.On the contrary, the Paris National Conservatory of Music can change sensei even after enrolling.

Koga No, it's not difficult at all.Since I went to graduate school, I took various sensei lessons.

Koga Japan is difficult, isn't it?In France, it can be said that sensei is not very responsible for his students, but to put it better, he is open and does not interfere with studying in various places on his own.I also actively attached to sensei that I thought was good with other sensei.For example, when I wanted to study Hindemith songs, I had a violin sensei who is familiar with Hindemith look at me.I went to the sensei class and said, "Would you like to see this song once?" And said, "Yeah, okay. Come tomorrow."In that way, you can easily learn the good points of various sensei.

Koga: In Germany, one sensei teaches one student with a sense of responsibility, so it may not be as impressive as in Japan, but it's not very impressive.My teacher also came to my concert and was told, "You didn't play as I taught you."French sensei feels like you can do whatever you want.I think it's a characteristic of French people and I don't really care about people.French people should be bright, but when they say, "I'm having trouble now," I'm going to run away ... The atmosphere was that the consultation was a little daunting.

Koga: The Germans suddenly said to someone they weren't so close to, "I'm actually having this kind of trouble now," but said, "If you don't mind, I'll ask you." On the other hand, it feels like the other side is opening up.Germany is where we face each other and build up friendships.The same goes for teacher-apprentice relationships.Therefore, if you want to be open to various sensei, you should go to France, and if you want to learn more about one sensei, you should go to Germany.Besides, I think it is better to study German music in Germany and French music in France as a matter of course.

Koga It is.If you want to join an orchestra, Germany has more orchestras, and I think Germany has an advantage.France has only a few orchestras in Paris, and of these, only two can be eaten in an orchestra.

Koga However, the number of seats is steadily decreasing because the German orchestra is steadily crushing and merging due to economic difficulties.The number of German unemployed musicians is increasing, so the Japanese are at a considerable disadvantage in terms of employment exams.As I have often experienced, in the orchestra enrollment examination, the curtain examination passes to a relatively good place.But as soon as I see my face, I feel like "Oh, I hated this ...". When I told my teacher, "I can't accept the orchestra even if I try hard," he joked, "You're doing everything you can, and then do plastic surgery."Discrimination is discrimination.The same is true for Japanese people.If there are many unemployed Japanese people and you have to choose someone, you will give priority to Japanese people instead of people from different countries.In that sense, it is disadvantageous for employment exams.However, there are many Japanese people who are really hard workers.For example, if you are a German, there are quite a lot of people who work as much as they receive money but do not do any more.But Japanese people want to do a good job regardless of the rewards they receive.For example, if there is one concert, no matter how cheap the guarantee is, there are many people around me who want to perform well and finish it in detail.The Japanese are a people who find it worthwhile to work.

Koga: Regardless of whether it is rewarded or not, I think that only Japanese people in the world can do it with the spirit of wanting to do a good job.In that sense, once you start working, I think that the number of supporters will gradually increase.

Koga Germans are also quite serious, but if you think that they are all hard workers, there are many people who think that they will do what they get paid, but they don't have to do anything else.Many French people are mood lovers, but they are also geniuses, they have a very good sense, and there are many people who succeed in a short time with the sense and flexibility of the place.Many Japanese and Russians do a tenacious job in any terrible situation.

Koga But I think Russians have different things in the back.There are people who are having a lot of trouble because the Soviet Union has lost their jobs due to the collapse of the Soviet Union.People who were first-class pianists but who seemed to have lost their jobs as cleaners after the collapse of the Soviet Union would do their best because they knew the hardships when they got a piano job again.It seems that Japanese people want to do a good job in their blood even if they don't have such troubles.

Koga When I was a student, I joined the Hoff Symphony Orchestra with an annual contract, and at that time my visa changed from a student visa to a work visa.Obtaining a work visa was a daunting task, and the only way to sustain it was to get a formal seat before the orchestra's contract expired.So I took various enrollment tests, first signed an annual contract with several orchestras, took some formal seat enrollment tests, and happened to be accepted by the Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Koga Hoff Symphony Orchestra was rather accustomed to foreigners. When I went to the Foreign Affairs Bureau to change my student visa to a work visa, I was yelled at, "I can't do that," but the orchestra said, "This person is absolutely necessary for me." He pushed me so hard, and in the end, he broke and replaced it.

Koga: That's also luck.Some acquaintances have no choice but to return to Japan without changing it.There have been a few times when I had difficulty with a work visa, but in my case, the conductor wrote a very good letter each time, and it happened that there was a better person at the foreign bureau there. I think I was lucky.

Koga I didn't count, but I received everything I could.In the first place, it is difficult for foreigners to receive an invitation to accept it.

Koga I can't accept it.That's why I see the information in a magazine every month that "where the orchestra's seats are vacant" and write a letter to that orchestra along with my career.Japanese students often complained that they didn't receive an invitation.I was the one who came as a Japanese person.Even after I entered Magdeburg, I had been taking it several times aiming for further improvement, for example, I went to the Berlin State Opera several times and asked if I should take you, so what? I was sticky many times, but I still can't get it at the very end.It's getting tougher and harder.First of all, being Asian is a disadvantage, and I would like to get a man if possible.In Germany, women can take a three-year vacation when they have a child, and then a second one is born, plus some say they have been off for six years.

Koga Men can take a vacation for the time being, but they usually come back within three months.

Koga There may or may not be a curtain.The curtains are usually worn by acquaintances in the orchestra to make them fair.Even in the same orchestra, there was a thing that there was this time but not the last time.

Koga is different.I think it is advantageous for Japanese people to have a curtain.However, it is rare that there is a curtain until the end.

Koga Usually, we proceed to the 1st, 2nd, and final rounds.At that time.The finals have been so long that I've reached the 5th, 6th, and 7th.At the end, when the orchestra couldn't decide, it was often the case that only two or three people were called to the stage and took turns playing the songs one after another forever.At the end, you will gradually lose consciousness, or you will need to have some ability, but it will be a patience game.

Koga Magdeburg Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra that mainly plays in Magdeburg and has extremely few performance trips.Since I joined the group, I have traveled to Japan, Italy, and Dresden, Berlin, and Bamberg in Germany.It's great for a performer like me who is doing his own performance activities other than the orchestra.If there are many orchestra performance trips, it will be difficult to do activities other than the orchestra just by moving.My playing activities are mostly in various parts of Germany.Occasionally I take a good vacation and go to Japan, France, etc.

Koga It depends on the orchestra.The Hoff Symphony Orchestra, for example, did not have many big tours, but there was also a lot of performance activity around the city of Hoff, which was a small city without an orchestra.

Koga Recently, the number of chamber music jobs has increased, and I am also doing solo activities, and I have more opportunities to collaborate with small orchestras, so I am more focused on those concerts than trying to move to other orchestras. I want to pour.

Koga What I'm most happy about is that by playing chamber music with excellent performers from various countries, I am exposed to the joy and wonderful sensibilities that cannot be expressed in words.It's the same with fellow chamber musicians, conductors and composers.It is extremely inspiring to come into contact with the sensibilities and better artists, so I would like to continue to meet good performers.My dream is to eat only chamber music and solo if possible.Also, I would like to invite some performance companions who are top-notch here but not known in Japan.

Koga Recital's partner, the pianist, came to Japan for the first time, and some of them became enthusiastic about Japan.I came to Japan with various formations such as a quartet and an ensemble of about XNUMX people, but the co-stars seem to be particularly motivated when it comes to "visiting Japan".For European musicians, coming to Japan seems to be a big deal.

Koga Even if you're not a famous performer, if it's a good one, your customers will be very happy.Supported by that enthusiasm, concerts were often more exciting than in Europe.The people I usually co-star with, even though they are still unknown in Japan, are wonderful artists, so I hope you will continue to experience this fresh performance.

Koga I think it's the purest and most wonderful gift given to humans.Music probably reaches the human soul most directly.When you can play with really good concentration, you may be in a state where you are not playing, you are just communicating the music coming down from heaven as an antenna.That's the most ideal state for me, but it's useless if I have some impure elements.I'm afraid, I'll do it well.Music is also like a mirror of your soul.

Koga Perhaps the most important thing to be active overseas is that you like music, of course, but it's also a minimum requirement, plus whether you can like the life of that country and the people of that country as well. I think it's not.So, if you have a hard time studying abroad for a long time, you should just study and change countries a little, or if Japan suits you better, you should go back to Japan.I think that the country that is compatible with that person is completely different.I think that if you try to find out if you are doing something strange or if you obediently follow the demands of your heart, it will lead to a reasonable success.Even if you have a hard time, I would like you to study and play an active role in a place that you truly enjoy.

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<Atsuko Koga, Georgy Romakov Summer XNUMX Concert Tour>
Atsuko Koga (flute), Georgy Romakov (cello), Radslavklek (piano)
https://flutist1.lima-city.de/html/2019_summer.html