Today, the Hardanger violin is regarded as Norway's national instrument. The name comes from the fact that the first known instruments were made in the Hardanger area.The modern Hardanger violin is a little smaller than the ordinary violin, richly decorated with pen drawings and mother-of-pearl inlays, and usually has 4 or5 resonating understrings.
Except for the element of understrings, where the Hardanger violin has relatives in both the near and far East and in Europe, the Hardanger vioin is today an exclusively Norwegian phenomenon.The oldest Hardanger violin that has been found and registered is dated 1651(the Jastad violin).
E,Grieg composed many famous music based on the melancholic tone of this instrument.
NIKKEI (Japanese Economic Paper)
String Magazine
Sankei Express
Profile
Rio Yamase
Violin & Hardingfele, composition & arrangement
Fiolin, Hardingfele, komponist og arrangor
Rio Yamase graduated with honors in Music Performance (Violin) from the Toho
Gakuen University in Tokyo. She studied the Violin under the direction of renowned
music teachers Professor Tosiya Etoh and Ms Angella Etoh and, the Hardingfele
from Mr. Hallvard Kvåle. Pursuant to her formal studies Ms Yamase performed
as Solo Violinist with the 'Kansai New Philharmonic Orchestra' in Japan, and
also with the 'Slovak Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra' in 1992.
In 1998 she formed a duo with her sister and fine pianist Lirica Yamase. They
have performed many concerts in Japan and Northern Europe which have included
annual recitals at the famed 'Munch Museum' in Oslo, Norway.
Following the release
of her first CD album in 2000 Ms Yamase was highly requested to perform recitals
and Concerts. These included performances on Japan's NHK broadcasting network
program 'Famous Music Recitals' and at Tokyo's famous concert venue 'The Suntory
Hall'. She was also requested to perform recitals on-board the luxury Japanese
cruise ship 'Asuka' during the ships European leg of its round-the-world cruise.
Highly respected for her composing and arranging talents Ms Yamase has penned
many pieces based on the popular and traditional music of Northern Europe. This
busy musical activity has attracted much public attention with appearances in
Northern Europe's many events and festivals staged by organizations such as the
'Scandinavian Tourist Board'.
In 2003 Ms Yamase began to perform on the traditional Norwegian 'Hardingfele'
at her concerts in Japan. Much interest and fascination was generated by these
performances and she was subsequently asked to appear as 'Hardingfele-nist' on
Japan's NHK (BS2) television music show. She also received invitations to perform
recitals and lectures with the 'Hardingfele' hosted by the Royal Norwegian Embassy
in Tokyo and the Scandinavian airline SAS. The Norwegian press also reported
her performances with much admiration. These included publications such as the
'Aftenposten' and the 'Valdres' who honorably introduced her as both Japanese
Violinist and 'Hardingfele-nist'.
The release in 2004, by Victor Entertainment Inc. Japan, of Ms Yamase's CD
album 'Golden Aurora' was considered a major debut event. It quickly prompted
a live performance and main-guest billing on the highly rated NHK live television
show 'Konnichiwa from Studio Park' as well as several other mass media promotions
and appearances. In Norway she was also in demand to be interviewed and to perform
on the national NRK radio programs where she was introduced as Japans first 'Hardingfele-nist'.
A very busy year, 2004 also saw Ms Yamase invited to perform at the Italian
Embassy in Tokyo. The event was a presentation party showcasing Italy's famous
'Cremona Violin' promoted by the Embassy and Japan's 'K.K.Yamaha Trading' company.
Here she performed on her very own 'Il Cremonese 1715' violin and the highly
successful concert was widely reported by media in Japan and Italy.
And in the same year, she played hardanger violin in some of the music of "Boof
of Earthsea" from Studio Ghibli.
In 2007, she performed hardanger violin
in "Peer Gynt" with many orchestras. It was the first time in Japan
to perform whole act of "Peer Gynt" with hardanger violin. In October,
the performers of "Munch Museum Concert" were invited by Rio Yamase,
and joined her concert tour "A gift from Scandinavia" in Japan (Tokyo/Hyougo/Niigata).
In October 2009, Rio Yamase held a cultural exchange festival of Japan and Norway
in Hardanger. The mayor of Hardanger gave an opening speech, and newspaper from
Hardanger and Bergen took up this event largely. In December, a corporation "Japan
Hardanger Club", which introduces Scandinavian culture to Japan and aims
at cultural exchange, was founded, and Rio Yamase was installed as president.
In May 2010, She was invited to have a concert in "Hardanger Folk Festival" in
Ulvik as a forign player.
By cooperation of Hardanger government and Scandinavian
Airlines, Scholarship of Hardanger violin was approved, and two of Rio Yamase's
students are able to study Hardanger violin in Hardanger for few weeks every
year. An audition for deciding the recipients of the scholarship was held at
the Norwegian embassy in Tokyo in November.
Rio Yamase now has concerts and lectures
in various fields, and teaches Hardanger violin actively.
Hennes debut CD "Okinawa 2000"(2000) ble tett etterfulgt av "Sommernatt ved fjorden"(2001), med stralende kritikker og mye oppmerksomhet i mediene (bla. i programmet "Famous Music Recital" og som nyhetsvignett i NHK).
I 2002 var hun 'artist in residence' pa cruise skipet "ASUKA" da det oppholdt seg i europeisk territorialfarvann.
I regi av 'Scandinavian Tourist Board' har hun ogsa fremfort en rekke konserter i Japan, blant annet i anerkjente Santory Hall.
I 2003 debuterte hun pa hardingfele og gjorde opptredener blant annet pa TV show for NHK-BS2, den norske ambassaden i Tokyo, og andre evenementer stottet av 'Scandinavian Tourist Board' og 'Scandinavian Airlines' (SAS).
Det samme aret gav hun ut cd'en "Golden Aurora". Dette var den forste utgivelsen hvor hun, alene, fremforte sine egne komposisjoner.
Som folge av denne utgivelsen fikk hun aret etter kontrakt med det internasjonale plateselskapet Victor Entertainment, Inc., noe ogsa ble lagt merke til i norsk presse, blant annet i Aftenposten. Samme aret holdt hun konsert ved den italienske ambassaden i Tokyo pa den beromte fiolinen “Cremonese 1715" med pafolgende oppmerksomhet i Italia.
I 2006 ble hun kontaktet av den verdenskjente animasjonsfilm skaperen Hayao Miyazaki(kjent for bla. Chihiro og heksene, 2001) og bedt om a lage musikk til hans siste kort-film "The water spider called Mon Mon".
Det holdes fortsatt regelmessige visninger ved Ghilbli museet i Tokyo. Hun spillte ogsa Hardingfele pa Miyazaki sin siste langfilm "Tales from Earthsea".
Sjangermessig er Rio Yamase inspirert av nord-europeeisk folke- og pop -musikk, og etter "motet" med Hardingfela har dette tradisjonsrike instrumentet blitt et sentralt element i hennes konserter og komposisjoner.
2007 ble et meget begivenhetsrikt ar. Forst spillte hun pa en full oppsetning av "Peer Gynt" i regi av det nasjonale kunst akademiet. Deretter turneerte hun pa ulike steder rundt omkring i Japan med det egenproduserte showet "Musikalske perler fra Skandinavia"(bla. for fulle hus pa scenen i "Bunkamura", Tokyo).
I august 2009 reiste en gruppe musikere og hardanger-brodorer med Rio Yamase i spissen til Lofthus i Hardanger hvor de gjorde suksess med den forste “Japan-Hardangekulturutvekslingsfestivalen”(I ar som i fjor gar dette evenementet av stabelen den 21.august).
I desember 2009 ble hun ogsa styreformann for stiftelsen “Den Japanske-Hardanger klubb”, en ikke-profitt organisasjon startet med det formal a formidle den lokale folkekulturen fra Hardanger til Japan, men ogsa for a drive kulturutveksling mellom de to landene.