Available CDS

Picture
Brand new album featuring diversity of Natsuko's voice as a classical as well as a contemporary singer.  クラシックから演歌、歌謡曲まで歌いきる声の切り替えの魅力をお楽しみいただけるニューアルバムです。８０年代のヒット曲も含まれています。​
Picture
Originally recorded by George Ai in 1973. This songs is often sang by Shotokan Karate practitioners.
Picture
SAKURA is a famous Japanese traditional song originally composed for KOTO instrument in EDO period. Later text was added to this popular tune. Recorded A Cappella with original melisma influenced by Shakuhachi and Minyo folk singing style of Japan. 
Picture
The debut album "Heart of Japan" 和心[wagokoro] features Japanese songs written under the influence of Western Harmony. Japan was closed from any foreign contacts between 1639-1854. It was forced to open the country with the arrival of an American ship. Therefore, the first Western music general public heard was the brass music played by the navy. Gradually Western music began to emerge and composers began to write cross cultural music. Songs took much longer journey than instrumental music. This album feature songs which has strong characteristics of traditional Japanese music as well as pre-and post war poems harmonised with corresponding Art Song writing style of Europe at that time. 

Dance 舞　Kunihiko Hashimoto 橋本国彦作

Natsuko's speciality piece is this MAI [Dance] by Hashimoto. In order to perform this piece with movements, Natsuko has taken 2 day express Japanese Buyou (traditional dance form) lessons from Eisuke Hanayagi and learnt very basic fan movements. She then mixed her own ideas. Vocally, it uses old Japanese theatrical speech and singing manner as well as Western classical singing techniques.

Music was written in 1929. The text is based on a Kabuki story called Musume Dojoji. It is a famous tale used in many Japanese traditional theatre. Princess Kiyohime falls in love with a Monk called Anchin. Anchin first accepts but soon rejects her for his religious belief in asterism. Enraged and broken hearted, the princess breaks into Anchin's temple (where women are forbidden), turns herself into a snake, wrap herself around the temple bell and sets fire to the entire building. The fan movements often suggest power of outrage, seduction and lust.

Mondnacht 月夜
Schumann シューマン

Amaryllis 曼珠沙華
Kosaku Yamada　山田耕筰

The deep red colour of the flower 'Higanbana' (Amaryllis) associates with the strong
passion and sadness of the woman in the graveyard. The seven flowers represent the age of her lost child. Since 'GONSHAN' means 'daughter of a respectable family' in Yanagawa dialect, the woman in this song probably conceived her lover's child, but was
forced to abort for the match being unfit: or perhaps the baby died at birth.

Zweilicht たそがれ　Schumann　シューマン

First Love 初恋
Tatsunosuke  Koshitani 越谷達之助

Song of AIYAN  AIYANの歌　Kosaku Yamada　山田耕筰