- About the Violin Concerto of Hifumi Shimoyama -

Daniel Tytgat

Could you imagine music more suggestive than this piece of Hifumi Shimoyama ?

To understand and feel deeply the images depicted by this concerto the knowledge of a war fact must be introduced. It concerns a great Belgian violinist, Martin Tytgat.

During world war 1940-1945, this violinist, aged 28, was enlisting in the Belgian army. After a certain period of hard combat he was captured and send in a concentration camp northeast of Prussia, near the Lithuanian border. This prisoner camp was named STALAG 1A.

He stayed there a lot of months. A lack of food, very cold weather (frozen legs), highly uncomfortable shanties were unbearable but that was nothing compare to a most important fact. He had a baby of some months he left together with his wife, a pianist. How long before to reach his freedom? He would not see his young boy growing during so many months.

Writing day after day what he endured in this camp, all his feelings were described: introspection, revolt, desperation, remembrance of war facts, resignation and sadness.

After some months, the "Kommandantur", knowing he was a violinist, found and gave him a bad violin on which he began progressively to play. First he was obliged to perform for the German officers but after some time he was allowed to play for the prisoners in the shanties. He then composed a lullaby dedicated to his son Roger and soon everyone in the camp sang this melody. By the way he attained slowly some serenity.

Having the score, Hifumi Shimoyama decided to depict the psychological evolution of this artist inserting centrally the theme of this lullaby.

Listening to this concerto lets you remember an atmosphere like the one found in the painting Guernica of Pablo Picasso. What is worth saying is the fantastic skill of the composer who was able to reflect so accurately the context of this lullaby.

The world premiere of this violin concerto was performed in Tokyo, October 23, 2003 by a pupil of Martin Tytgat, Philippe Descamps. His interpretation adds a deep soul to this remarkable piece, which will move all listeners.

A wonderful piece, really worth of our highest interest.

* Daniel Tytgat is a scientist in Physical Chemistry, speciality was electrochemistry. He was graduated as a Ph.D. at the free university of Brussels in 1969. As an amateur he played cello and piano. His father Martin Tytgat was one of the last pupil of Joseph Szygeti.