Toru Takemitsu

Bio

Tōru Takemitsu (1930–1996) was a Japanese composer whose work bridged Western modernism and traditional Japanese aesthetics. Largely self-taught, he gained international recognition in the 1960s with pieces such as “Requiem for Strings” and the orchestral “November Steps,” which juxtaposed the shakuhachi and biwa against a Western symphony orchestra. His catalogue spans solo, chamber, orchestral, and film scores, including music for Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran.” Takemitsu’s refined sense of timbre and silence earned him commissions from major ensembles worldwide and lasting influence on subsequent generations of composers.