Rio Yamase (Violin & Hardingfele, composition & arrangement)

Rio Yamase graduated from The Department of Music Performance(Violin),Toho Gakuen University.She studied Violin from Prof. Toshiya Eto and Ms.Angella Eto and Hardingfele from Mr. Hallvard Kvale.She performed as soloist with Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra and Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra in 1992. In 1998, she formed a duo with her sister, pianist, Lirica Yamase.They are giving concerts in Japan and Norway, including a yearly recital at the Munch Museum, Oslo.Her first CD "Okinawa 2000" was released in 2000.In 2001, CD "Sammernatt ved Fjorden" was released.Both were introduced by the mass-media.She performed in the NHK programme, maned"Famous Music Recital" in June of this year. Also, NHK Okinawa was on air her "OKINAWA 2000"as the ending piece of each NHK-News and received high reputations.In 2002, she joined the passenger ship "ASUKA" for 10 days while the ASUKA was in the European waters on the way ASUKA' s "Round the World Cruise" and gave the onboard recital.She performed at the Santory Hall, many other local concerts produced by the museum and the events produced by Scandinavian Tourist Board in Japan.In 2003, she started to perform with Hardingfele at her concert in Japan.She appeared as Hardingfelenist on NHK-BS2 TV shows and the other event shows by Scandinavian Tourist Board or Air Line "SAS" and also at the Embassy of Norway,Tokyo.One of Norway press reported her to Norway as Japanese Violinist & Hardingfelenist.In October, 2003, she released a CD, named "Golden Aurora", which was produced totally by herself and by her performances with Violin and Hardingfele.In April, 2004, a renewed and enlarged CD of which mentioned above was released by the Victor Entertainment,Inc. and it was her major-debut what we called.This was reported not only in Japan but in Norway by the Norwegian Press such as the AFTENPOSTEN or the VALDRES. And she drew many attention from mass-media.In May of this year, she performed at the Italian Embassy, Tokyo with the world-famous violin “Cremonese 1715" and reperted to Italia by the Italian press.

In January 2006 Ms Yamase was approached by world famous anime-film producer and academy prize winner Mr Hayao Miyazaki to work on his latest project.The animation film "Mizugumo Mon Mon" (the water spider called"Mon Mon")released at the GHIBLI Museum in Tokyo,
features music wholly composed and directed by Ms Yamase.

The folks or pops music in Northern Europe inspired her classic music mind. Also, since she met Hardingfele, she has composed and arranged with this instrument for her own parfomances.

Hardanger violin (Hardingfele)

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.