Description

YOSHIE FUJIWARA (OSAKA, JAPAN DECEMBER 5, 1898 – TOKYO, JAPAN MARCH 22, 1976)​

His mother Kinu Sakata was a geisha in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture. His father, Neil B. Reid, was Scottish. Yoshie’s mother died in his youth, and Reid remained a bachelor all his life. So he was adopted by Tokuzaburō Fujiwara from whom he received the family name “Fujiwara”. He studied singing in France and Italy, where he made his debut in 1921. After first successes on European stages, he returned to Japan (1923). He appeared with great success in opera and concert performances in Tokyo. In 1934 he founded his own Japanese opera company and went on a tour in Japan and performed in such a roles like Don Ottavio in ‘’Don Giovanni’’, José in ‘’Carmen’’, Duke in ‘’Rigoeltto’’ and Tannhäuser. In 1952 and 1956 he undertook with this troupe successful guest performance tours through USA. After his retirement he worked as pedagogue and opera director in Tokyo.

TRACKLIST

1. Bell rings (Kosaku Yamada)
2. Das Land des Lächelns (Lehár) Dein ist mein ganzes Herz
3. Lullaby Song (Kosaku Yamada)
4. Lullaby Song (Schubert)
5. This road (Kosaku Yamada)
6. Madama Butterfly (Puccini) Addio, fiorito asil
7. Santa Lucia Luntana (E. A. Mario) (orchestral accompaniment)
8. Tosca (Puccini) E lucevan le stele (piano accompaniment)
9. Rigoletto (Verdi) La donna e mobile (piano accompaniment)
10. Hoko wo osamete (Nakayama)
11. I Battitori de grano (Sadero) (piano accompaniment)
12. Santa Lucia Luntana (E. A. Mario) (piano accompaniment)
13. Departure from port (Haseo Sugiyama) (piano accompaniment)
14. Song of Stenka Razin (Russian folk song)
15. Old Kentucky Home Song (Foster)
16. At anchor ship (Kosuke Komatsu)
17. Departure from port (Haseo Sugiyama) (orchestral accompaniment)
18. This road (Kosaku Yamada)
19. Spring sea (Michio Miyagi)
20. Riverbank willow (Kiyomi Fujii)
21. Oh, a seed (Ryutaro Hirota)
22. Flower (Kosaku Yamada)