OBOG Wind Symphony - Shichi Go San

Concert Title: Spiel! 2018
Date: 2nd June 2018 (Saturday)
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Victoria Concert Hall
Shichi-Go-San - the Celebration for Children of 7, 5 and 3 Years of Age
by Itaru Sakai
Performed by OBOG Wind Symphony
Conductor: Mr Lim Yean Hwee
This piece comes from a traditional Japanese festival called “Shichi-Go-San”「七五三」 (Seven-Five-Three) that celebrates girls aged seven, boys aged five and children aged three. It is held on the 15th of November annually, a date believed to be the most auspicious in the traditional Japanese calendar. Originating from aristocratic and samurai families, these practices had spread to commoners by the Edo period (1603 - 1867). Contemporary Shichi-Go-San traditions practiced today came about in the Meiji era (1868 - 1912).
On this day, parents bring their children to visit Shinto shrines, praying to Ujigami - the shinto guardian of god of good health - for the longevity and well-being of their offspring. As with most festivals, the attire is elaborate: kimonos「着物」for girls and hakamas「袴」or haoris「羽 織」 for the boys. Children are also given special sweets called chitose-ame「千歳飴」- literally ‘thousand year sweets’. These sweets, usually white and pink, are wrapped in bags illustrated with turtles and cranes, creatures symbolizing longevity. Chitose-ame thus represent good luck and parents’ wishes for their children to lead a long and prosperous life.
In this piece, Itaru Sakai imagined a motley trio of a seven-year-old sister with five- and three-year-old brothers going through various happenings, having fun visiting a shrine, and strengthening their bonds of sibling affection in the process. Reflecting the meaning of its title, Shichi-Go-San frequently uses irregular meters, namely septuple, quintuple, and triple time. The trumpet fanfare in the beginning describes the lively five-year-old. The charming second theme by the E-flat clarinet presents the mischievous three-year-old boy. The melodic line played by the alto saxophone in the middle section depicts the gentle and pretty seven-year-old girl.