Earth for flute and piano

by Takatsugu Muramatsu

Takatsugu Muramatsu was born in 1978, in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. Made his debut with the original piano solo album “Window” while in high school. Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Department of Composition.

As a composer, his talent was noticed from early on, he was in charge of the Kadokawa movie “Inugami” while he was in college, he also has worked on more than 70 movies, TV dramas, theatrical performances, musicals, etc. He received the Japan Academy Award for Outstanding Music for the second consecutive year in the movies “64-Rokuyon-Part 1” and “The True Story of the Bride’s Miracle Over 8 Years”.

In addition, he has a wide range of activities, and in 2019, he provided many songs such as “The Song of Life”, performed by Mariya Takeuchi, “Far away” by the British Boys Chorus Group, Libera. He also became the first Asian to provide music to the American singer songwriter, musician and actor Josh Groban.

In recent years, he has expanded his field of activity to the world, including the music of Studio Ghibli’s “When Marnie Was There”, “Mary and the Witch’s Flower”, “Lu Over the Wall”, which won the Grand Prix at the 2017 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and also the music of Youku’s drama “The Longest Day In Chang’an,” which has become his first overseas work and is distributed worldwide.

He has composed music for many movies and TV dramas, including the movie “Jiyuu Renai”, the NHK Saturday drama series “Hyouheki”; the movies “Yunagi no Machi, Sakura no Kuni (Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms)”, “Orion-za Kara no Shotaijou” and “Mouryou no Hako”; the NHK Saturday drama series “Kansahoujin”; the movies “Climber’s High”, “Ohoku” and “Antoki no Inochi”; the NHK serial TV drama “DanDan”, and the movie “Nobody to Watch over Me”.

Aside from movies and dramas, he arranged the music for the Shiki Theatre Company’s “Song & Dance” and for the Japan performance of the Broadway Musical “Cabaret”. He also composed the music for the fireworks show “Hanabi in Huis Ten Bosh” at Huis Ten Bosh, a theme park in Nagasaki, and directed the music for the Industrial Museum “E ~ RA” of the Shizuoka International Garden and Horticulture Exhibition.

Aside from Libera, he has composed music for famous artists in a broad range of genres centering on classical music, including Chisako Takashima (violin), Naori Uchida (harp), Mika Agematsu (arpa), Ayako Takagi (flute) and Momoko Kamiya (marimba), and he is actively working as a producer as well.

In addition, he has performed together with, played piano or arranged music for artists including Shinichi Mori, Rimi Natsukawa, Celtic Woman, Russel Watson, Hayley Westenra and Katherine Jenkins.

Throughout Japan, he also performs as a pianist in concerts, playing music mainly consisting of his original songs and impromptu performances.