Sonata For Violin, Piano, Percussion & Contrabass (1966) / Musique Pour Quatuor À Cordes Et Piano-Forte (1962)

This release, catalogued as OS-10013-JC by CBS, reflects the burgeoning interest in the Japanese avant-garde scene during the late 1960s. The record pairs Michio Mamiya’s 'Sonata for Violin, Piano, Percussion & Contrabass' with Teizo Matsumura’s 'Musique pour Quatuor à Cordes et Piano-forte.' These works were instrumental in documenting the fusion of traditional Japanese sensibility with Western structural complexity, representing the academic and experimental rigor of composers who were actively redefining the boundaries of chamber music in post-war Japan.

The album is a quintessential artifact of the CBS Japan contemporary series, which aimed to bring high-art compositions to a broader intellectual audience. The production values and the stark, modern aesthetic of the sleeve design prioritize the gravity of the musical compositions themselves. Upon its release in 1967, it was regarded as a significant contribution to the documentation of contemporary Asian art music, finding a place in the libraries of serious collectors of international modernist compositions.