A year has already passed since the death of Akio Morita, who brought happiness to the people of the world by developing a technology that enabled them to listen to beautiful music anywhere, at any time. And how much pleasure he brought to us musicians as well; thanks to him, we have music always at our side. It has been my privilege to write, at the request of Mr. Morita's family, a cantata in a new style.

"Do you know why the world is round?
God made it round
So that people who have been separated may encounter one another again somewhere."

As these lines from Masahiko Shimada's lyrics show, it has been our intention to create an optimistic cantata, which will help people throughout the world to live their lives freely and with strength, always keeping with them the memory of the late Mr. Morita.

We bring this piece to you through the Japan Virtuoso Symphony Orchestra, which consists of concertmasters and first chair players from Japanese orchestras, under their conductor Naoto Otomo, and the Shin-yu kai Chorus, under chorus master Shin Sekiya.

Shigeaki Saegusa (Composer)

The late Akio Morita left a legacy of outstanding achievements both in the field of cutting-edge technology and in the field of business, through which such technologies are disseminated. He was also someone who found freedom and boundlessness in both music and physics.

It has been the wish of his family to launch a musical composition that will lift people's hearts, so rather than praising Mr. Morita's achievements at length, I have tried to turn people's thoughts through poetry toward that freedom and boundlessness. I am a novelist by trade, but I have collaborated with Shigeaki Saegusa several times through the writing of libretti for his operas and lyrics for his songs. What I have tried to do on this occasion is to offer something in the form of a prayer that attempts to meld the verse with the harmonies, while remaining close to the cantata form.

Men and women crave for reason. I believe that this craving for reason is the driving force which propels us towards the future.

Masahiko Shimada (Lyricist)

Akio Morita and his family knew perhaps more than others the trials and joys of making things, and of creating things. This undoubtedly gave Mr. Morita his sense of a social mission.

He always loved music, and his family has decided that the commemoration of the first anniversary of his death should take the form of a concert including the first performance of a newly-commissioned work.

It will thus be our pleasure to perform some of Akio Morita's favorite works by Wagner, some of his beloved arias from Italian opera, sung by Shinobu Sato, and a new cantata composed by Shigeaki Saegusa, with lyrics by Masahiko Shimada.

We hope that our performance will express our feelings, and succeed in conveying, even if only to a small degree, the deep understanding and courage of the Morita family with regard to 'creation' and the kindness and generosity that they never cease to show to their friends and to society as a whole.

Naoto Otomo (Conductor, first performance)