Midori Hirano: Piano and Synth That Know When to Stop

This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on composer and pianist Midori Hirano.

Born in Kyoto and based in Berlin, Midori is out now with The Juniper Tree, a new score for Nietzchka Keene's 1990 film starring Björk in her first screen role.

We talk about writing without the original soundtrack in her ears, turning field recordings of birds and a waterfall into instruments, and how Pauline Oliveros and the Japanese idea of "ma" led her to strip the music down.

(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Midori Hirano's The Juniper Tree)

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Dig Deeper

Artist and Album:

• Visit Midori Hirano at midorihirano.com and follow on Instagram
• Purchase The Juniper Tree from Thrill Jockey or Bandcamp and listen on your streaming platform of choice.

The Film:

• The Juniper Tree (The Film Foundation)
• Björk's Movie Debut, The Juniper Tree, Is Restored and Revisited (Hyperallergic)
• Midori Hirano x The Juniper Tree (Videodroom, Film Fest Gent)
• The live soundtrack (midorihirano.com)

People and Places:

• Anna Bogutskaya (Time Out)
• Pauline Oliveros and the Center for Deep Listening
• EMS Elektronmusikstudion, Stockholm
• MimiCof, Distant Symphony, made on the SYNTHI 100 at Radio Belgrade (Karlrecords)

Coverage:

• Midori Hirano Draws Inspiration from a Classic Icelandic Film (PopMatters)

From The Tonearm:

• Inside Brüder Selke & Midori Hirano's Musical Laboratory
• Speaking the Word of the Buchla — Suzanne Ciani's Orchestral Wave