"I believe that music has its origins in shamanistic festivals and that shamans' prayer songs are fundamental. In this violin concerto, too, I see the soloist as the shaman and the orchestra in the background as the cosmos, nature, which extends within and beyond the shaman. The shaman sings to the cosmos, to which the cosmos responds or rebels. During the exchange of songs, the prayer gradually deepens and the shaman finally becomes one with the cosmos and nature", says Toshio Hosokawa about Prayer.
The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Paavo Järvi premiered the violin concerto together with Daishin Kashimoto in 2023, followed by the Swiss premiere with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra under Michael Sanderling and the Japanese premiere with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra and Sebastian Weigle. The British premiere took place in 2024 at London's Barbican Centre with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Kahchun Wong with violinist Sayaka Shoji. "Whether as sound or story, Prayer is very listenable (...). Written for Daishin Kashimoto (...), he played Prayer superbly and with dedication, finely partnered," said the blog Colinscolumn.com after the premiere, and the Berliner Morgenpost wrote: “Kashimoto made the demanding solo part colourful and with great gripping intensity”.
Tito Ceccherini will also conduct the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra in three other works - the programme includes Sibelius‘ tone poem Aallottaret (’The Okeanids"), Takemitsu's Twill by Twilight and Debussy's La Mer.
