Japanese Composer Akira Nishimura has Died, Aged 69

A prominent figure in the Japanese compositional landscape, Nishimura was renowned for his use of heterophonic textures

Born in Osaka in 1953, Akira Nishimura studied composition and music theory at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He first garnered international attention in 1977, when he won a prize at the Queen Elisabeth International Music Composition Competition with his 1975 string quartet Heterophony.

Nishimura later also won the Luigi Dallapiccola Composition Award with another work, Mutazione (1977). A number of prizes at the ISCM World Music Days followed in 1982, 1984, 1988, and 1990, as did numerous editions of the Otaka Prize — which he won in 1988, 1992, and 1993.

His style was characterized by the technique of heterophony, a textural influence that Nishimura derived principally from traditional Asian music. By layering altered versions of the same melody on top of each other, Nishimura was a master at creating thick, rich, and aurally compelling textures.

As well as this musical technique, Nishimura was also inspired by the religion, cosmology, and aesthetics of traditional Asian cultures, which he studied in depth.

Nishimura held a professorship at the Tokyo College of Music and was also the Musical Director of the Izumi Sinfonietta Osaka. His contribution to music in Japan was recognized in 2004, when he was named the recipient of the 36th Suntory Award.

Our condolences to Nishimura's family, friends, and colleagues.

You can hear one of his recent works, Azure Dragon, below — in a performance by the Jasper String Quartet.