Tomita

I found Isao Tomita quite blind. I saw his Planets record in a store and took a punt. I love electronics and Holt’s Planets was a favorite as a child. What a good choice I made in that record. His take on Holst’s famous work is just stunning. I know it upset Holst’s family but really this is a genuinely creative take on the work that I’m sure Gustav would at least have been interested in.

I gathered many other of Tomita’s record including Snowflakes Are Dancing, Pictures At An Exhibition & Firebird, but is is his Planets and Kosmos that I listen to most.

What I love in Tomita’s recordings are his ability to balance the existing melody and his sound effects, particularly his ability so morph the two together so the lines blur in a way that seems natural at the time. That gives his work an otherworldly feel uncommon in many composers.

At times, a few other musicians have likened parts of my work to Tomita and I take that as a great flattery, even though I know I am not his equal.