Musica che affronta il silenzio - Scritti su Toru Takemitsu - Pavia ...

Music Facing Up to Silence. Writings on Tru Takemitsu
In the last episode, In a Cup of Tea, we find the common technique of cutting sounds,
which Takemitsu referred to as ‘les sons-choc’ (Tessier 1985b: 99). This involves operations
of splicing and editing, achieving remarkable metamorphoses of the materials themselves and
precious alchemies in the palette of timbres.
Figura 9. Fourth episode of Kwaidan.
‘The most interesting moment is when I add the sound. That is when I tremble
all over…’ (Kurosawa)
As Alain Poirier recalls, the directors who Takemitsu collaborated with always spoke of his
determination to go beyond simply synchronising, commenting and adding impact to what
appears on the screen, developing new and unconventional working methods. 44 He also
pointed out Takemitsu’s particular approach to mixing: ‘For example, by momentarily
depriving a scene of the music which would only accentuate the dramatic aspect, Takemitsu
managed many a time to increase the effectiveness of the passage’ (Poirier 1996: 94), as if
the music was able to engender an energy which was all the stronger for being released
only a little at a time. This type of mixing creates new modes of listening, different from the
44 ‘Sometimes, I’d want to cut the sound just a bit, even a foot, to heighten the tension’, as Takemitsu himself
said. ‘I’d ask Kobayashi, the director. Then we’d try it, and he’d agree’. Kobayashi commented: ‘He skips a
beat, just one ma and then brings in the sound. Instead of putting sound where you’d expect it… he shifts it just a
little. It was extremely effective. […] The movies I made before I worked with Takemitsu are so full of music.
The flow of music tended to become monotonous. But Takemitsu uses music to slash the monotony. The way he
places the music catches viewers by surprise… and even makes the director feel: “How extraordinary! He’s
really brought that scene to life!”. Based on these kinds of experiences, a personal… and trusting relationship
blossomed between us’ (Tru Takemitsu and Masaki Kobayashi in Zwerin, 1994).
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