Actress-singer Tatsuki Koju, a former top star of the Takarazuka Revue Company, is giving concerts featuring the songs from the album she released earlier this year.
The album, "Gladiolus," mainly features covers of pop songs from the Showa era (1926-89) and demonstrates Koju's beautiful singing voice and her ability to aptly change the style of expression depending on the song.
There will be two concerts on Saturday and Sunday at Quest Hall in Harajuku, Tokyo.
"I hope the audience will appreciate the leisurely time of those days by listening to great songs from a bygone era," Koju said.
The Showa-era songs on the album, which was released in January, include "Anata" (You) by Akiko Kosaka, which Koju sings freely in a pure voice, and "Silhouette Romance" originally sung by Junko Ohashi, which Koju croons touchingly, making the most of her colorful voice, from warm contralto to crystal-clear soprano. "Soshu Yakyoku" (A nocturne of Suzhou) is performed in a laid-back manner with a finely timed rhythm.
"Gladiolus is my birth flower. I heard purple gladiolus has a meaning of passionate love," Koju said, explaining why the songs in the album are mostly about women in love. "Yume Hitoyo" by Kosetsu Minami is a man's song, but Koju noted that the lyrics are written from a woman's point of view, which she thought was an important point for the album.
During her days at the Takarazuka Revue, Koju was known as an all-around male-role star who excelled in singing, dancing and acting. As she has mainly focused on theater since leaving the company -- "Gladiolus" is her first album in 15 years -- it feels a little too long a gap, considering she is such an accomplished singer.
Fans of musicals surely know very well how fascinating her singing is. One of the bonus tracks on the album is "Hoshi kara Furu Kin" (Gold von den Sternen) from the musical "Mozart!" Koju has appeared in the musical five times since 2005, including the latest revival in August, as the baroness who sings this song.
"It's a difficult song," Koju said. "When I first sang this song, I had trouble changing my singing style from that of a male-role performer and therefore could not do enough to let the audience feel the lyrics.
"I've been able to perform this role for a long time, so my interpretation of the character has changed as I gain more experience in the role. It has helped me grow up and allowed me to give a verdict on the process of my improvement."
Her modest account of herself derives from her experiences at Takarazuka. At first, she became a member of the Flower Troupe, one of the five troupes at the company. But after that she was transferred between troupes five times. She had a particularly hard time when she moved from the company's Superior Members group to the Star Troupe as its top star because the transfer was rather sudden.
"I had this feeling that I was appreciated only up to a certain point. That's why I've been able to continue with a mind-set of making it better next time," she said.
Another highlight of the album is a new original song, "Ame no Chanson" (A chanson of the rain), which was composed by accordion player Tetsuya Kuwayama to unpublished lyrics by the late lyricist Yu Aku. As last year fell on the 10th anniversary of Aku's death, she decided to record a new song set to the lyrics. Kuwayama took part in the recording of the album as well.
Koju said she was fascinated by the song's title and its beautiful lyrics.
"Chanson is a genre that I've been hoping to pursue because there have been many great chanson singers who were also ex-Takarazuka stars, such as Fubuki Koshiji and Natsuyo Fukamidori. I think something divine was at work when I met this song," she said.
The song is special among the tracks on the album because Koju sings it in a deep contralto and moves the listeners with her fabulous singing.
"When I listen to the songs from the album now, I wish I sang some phrases differently. At the concerts, I'd like to sing them more spontaneously and more expressively," said Koju, who is always strict with herself.
For more information on the concerts, call (03) 3478-9999.
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