Tsuru-Usagi CD「Tsuru-Usagi's Tea Party」

The Introductions

1. Tsuru-Usagi's Tea Party[String Quartet](compose: Ryota Ishikawa)

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Sunshine gently falls in the afternoon. The rabbit sisters are enjoying their favorite sweets around the white tablecloth table, and beside the window appears beautiful greenery. The scones are fresh from the bakery. The biscuits are made from their grandma’s  traditional recipe. Perfect cups of brewed tea sit on the table. It’s a colorful and lovely time. Let's start, so please join us for "Tsuru-Usagi's Tea Party”

2. The Mountain Musicians' Concerto[String Quartet](Germany Air/ arrange: Ryota Ishikawa)

“The Mountain Musicians' Concerto” is arranged by ”The Mountain Musician” (a.k.a I Am a Musician). The Rabbit sisters become the mountain musicians choose their favorite classical solo phrase to reinterpret this nursery. Jo, the second sister, plays J.S Bach’s “Cello Suites no.1” by cello. Amy, the youngest sister, plays Mendelssohn’s “Violin Concerto in E minor, Op.64” by violin. And then, Beth, the third sister, play Brahms’ “String Sextet No. 1” by Viola. At last, Meg, the oldest sister, plays Tchaikovsky’s “Violin Concerto in D major, Op.35” by violin. Each sister shows just how charming the song can be.

3. Cotswolds Landscape[Piano Quintet](compose: Hiroki Takahashi)

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The name Cotswold is popularly attributed to the meaning "sheeps on rolling hillsides". It’s a place in England where there are lots of lovely village cottages and rolling landscape like a fantasy fairy-tale world. In this song, the beautiful country scenery was written in peaceful 6/8 time. England is also the great composer Gustav Holst’s country. In this song, composer quoted his work, the melody of First Suite for Military Band’s Second chapter’s intermediate part to pay tribute to Gustav Holst. Listening the cello’s emotional main melody, beauty, mellowness and fairy-tale world of Cotswolds Landscape.

4. Turkey in the Straw[String Quartet](Amerikan Air/ arrange: Ryota Ishikawa)

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This country style song is different from the previous song. It’s a happy county music song’s show time!  Turkey in the Straw, which also is a famous folk dance song, this time, we will show you by string quartet! The great composer Antonín Dvořák’s work, “America” also appears in this song. It’s a joyful piece that you could feel the rabbits playing the fiddle with their full soul and step their feet with the rhythm in the boisterous country dance hall.

5. Down by the Salley Garden[Piano Quintet](Ireland Air/ arrange: Toshiko Ogasawara)

The wind is blowing across the wild grassland,  and a little bird is dancing and flying over the high sky alone….this song, Down by the Sally Garden, is arranged as these beautiful scenes. The Ireland Air, Down by the Salley Garden’s lyric, is written by the Nobel laureates in Literature, the Ireland poets William Butler Yeats. He reconstructs an old song by an old peasant woman who often sings to herself, and then is well know to people. The poem describes a memory of a boy who met a girl he loved in the salley(willow) garden. Sorrow is everywhere and it touches people's hearts in this song. Listening Beth’s romantic piano, the shiny sound add lustre to the entire song.

6. Rabbits Dancing around the World[String Quartet](compose: Shinpei Nakayama/ arrange: Ryota Ishikawa)

Based on the Japanese nursery “Dance of Rabbits (Usagi no Dance)”,  The rabbits sisters, Tsuru-Usagi are traveling around the world. First stop, we are coming to Okinawa ! After dancing the Okinawa’s folk dance Kachashi, we break up the heavy traffic jams, and come to China for having a cup of Oolong Tea. Then, let’s take a magic carpet and fly to the exotic Arabian land! After dancing under the mysterious moonlight, this time, we are going to take a sled to freezing Russia, and do a cossack dance ! Speaking of dance, we can’t  forget the ball. Lastly, let’s go to Vienna, imaging to being a princess, and dancing the waltz  with Tsuru-Usagi’s music.

7. Country Road, Take Me Home[String Quartet](Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert, John Denver/ arrange:Toshiko Ogasawara)

This song is started by the soft and gentle strings’ sounds in the intro, and then, heated up by American country fiddle in the verse. Lastly, end of the free style playing in the outro. It’s famous for the POP song in America, “Country Road, Take Me Home” was released by John Denver in 1971. After that, this song is well- known in the world and be arranged by many musicals. The Zoorasianbrass’ CD album, ”THE BACKPACKER! ”, also recorded this song. What’s the different between Tsuru-Usagi and Zoorasianbrass’ interpretation? Let’s listen and enjoy both two songs.

8.Tsuru-Usagi’s Favorite Colors[String Quartet]
  (compose: Osamu Sakata, Czechia Air, Japanese Air, Teiichi Okano, Takeshi Inoue/ arrange:Ryota Ishikawa)

  

Although the rabbit sisters always get along well, their interest and favorite colors are quite different. Let’s listen to their favorite colors in the music. First, the oldest sister, Meg, chooses the Czech Children Songs ”Oh, The Meadow is Wide (Aj, lúčka, lúčka široká)”. Meg’s favorite color is green. Then, Amy, who likes pink the most, chooses the Japanese folk song “Sakura”. Next, Beth, who plays the viola, chooses the Japanese folk song “Moonlight night(Oborodzuki)”. Moon and cole flowers are both yellow color! Lastly, Jo choose the Japanese folk song ”The Sea (Umi)”. Do you know what Jo's favorite color is? Tsuru-Usagi play the string to interpret their favorite colors in music. It’s always a popular song in the cute rabbits’ concerts.

9. Rabbits’ Czar-Dash![Violin+Piano](compose: Vittorio Monti, Shinpei Nakayama/ arrange: Hiroki Takahashi)

This is a cool song played by Meg’s violin and Beth’s piano. It’s based on Monti’s “Csárdás”, which is famous for its difficult violin technique. The arranger add the elements of Japanese nursery ”The Little Rabbits(Usagi, Usagi)” and “Dance of Rabbits (Usagi no Dance)” on Monti’s “Csárdás” for showing the rabbits’ passion. In this song, you can not only enjoy their appassionato melody, but also the magnificent technique. Sometimes, two rabbits almost play to original version. Performing this is a big challenge.

Secret Recipe of Tsuru-Usagi(compose:Kohe Nishishita)
 10. 〜Meg's Shepherd's Pie〜
 11. 〜Amy's Pancake〜
 12. 〜Beth's Jacket Potato〜
 13. 〜Jo's Sunday Roast〜

During the holidays, Tsuru-Usagi always cook together! The rabbits sisters show their favorite secret recipes.

First, the sisters’ spiritual pillar, the oldest sister, Meg, starts to make a pie full of energy. The hot mashed potato is garnished on the crispy and crunchy pie. The fresh baked pie’s smelling is also a lot of fun. The skipping theme melody, and bright D major as Meg’s Shepherd’s Pie is dished up!

Next, the youngest sister, Amy’s recipe is pancakes. She sautes the delicious pancakes softly and fluffy, like dancing with a elegant waltz song. The silver tableware is shining, the pancake’s taste is acquire, and she plays the melody sweetly and warmly.

  The third sister, who is always conscientious and gentle, Beth, chooses potatoes, that every family get them easily, as her main ingredients. She is going to make Jacket Potato(a.k.a Baked Potato). When she cooks, the sounds of horse and carriage running on the fields in double time, will be coming from the window. Under the peace scenery, Jacket Potato is so matched Beth’s down-to-earth personality. 

Last, the greedy eater, Jo, who can play the cello strongly, challenges to cook the Sunday roast. The delicious and juicy roast beef is complementary to the airy and soft yorkshire pudding. Put the dish down and look up at the window outside unwittingly, you can hear the little birds sing so sweetly.

What a wonderful holiday! Let’s feel the happaness and “dig in” to Secret Recipes of Tsuru-Usagi.

14.Gift this Song to You[French Horn+Piano Quintet](compose:Kazuo Zaitsu/arrange:Hiroki Takahashi)

Tsuru-Usagi’s good friend, Zoorasianbrass’ Malayan Tapir, also attended to this album as a soloist. The french horn sounds beautifully and outstanding with the rabbits’ piano quintet. This Japanese song, Gift this Song to You (Kitte no Nai Okurimono), was debuted on NHK TV’s music program in 1977 and was a big hip . Until now, it’s loved by lots of musicians and has been arranged  to many kinds of versions. This arrangement is slower and more symphonic than the original, and that makes the horn's sound softer and more touching to the heart.

15.15.Tea for Two[Piano Quintet](compose: Vincent Millie Youmans/arrange: Toshiko Ogasawara)

As the album’s title, it’s also a tea time number in the last song. Tea for Two is a song introduced in the Broadway musical “No, No, Nanette” in 1924 and than got a big hit. The intro in the original version is very attractive, but some arrangements abbreviated it. This song keeps the lovely verse in the intro, and the pizzicato in the outro is imaging the step dance for two. 

Tsuru-Usagi's happy tea party is getting to come to an end in the beautiful music.

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