Makoto Yoshida

Born in Hyogo Prefecture in Japan, the clarinetist Makoto Yoshida, awarded in numerous competitions, has been recognized as a performer with a particular classical and rustic charm that balances both the classical and the traditional japanese music worlds. His work with the grand shakuhachi master Fujiwara Dozan has been particularly well received and awarded. 

Yoshida studied Piano from the age of 5, Clarinet from the age of 15 and Conducting from the age of 22 under guidance from the renowned Maestro Seiji Ozawa. He also graduated at the Conservatoire de Rueil-Malmaison in France under the guidance of Florent Héau and won the unanimous Grand Prix and Virtuoso Prize from the jury.

Makoto Yoshida has participated successfully in numerous competitions. Among them the 1st prize in the Woodwind section and the Audience prize at the 5th Tokyo Music Competition, the Richard Stoltzman Prize at Music Weeks in TOKYO 2012 and the Michel Arrignon Special Prize at the 19th Buffet Crampon Music Lecture.

His performances include collaborations with musicians such as the Küchl Quartet, Trio Owon led by Olivier Charlier, Sitkovetsky Trio, Yu Kosuge. Takuya Uchikado, Ryutaro Suzuki,  Hubert Soudant and the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, to name a few. 

In 2000, he gave the world premiere of Turtle Totem, a new solo clarinet piece by composer Dai Fujikura for the NHK TV programme “The Culture of Japan”, where he conducted the recording of the new theme music for the programme. In 2014, he was selected as soloist for the ‘Toyota Master Players, Vienna’ and participated in a national tour, recorded and performed Krommer Concerto for two clarinets with maestro Peter Schmiedl. Two years later in 2016, made his debut at the Suntory Hall Chamber Music Garden, where he received rave reviews for his performance of Messiaen “Quatuor pour la fin du temps”, and conducted Britten Serenade, Op.31, with John Ken Nuzzo and Radek Baborak as soloists. In 2022, he participated in a project organized by Suntory Hall to mark the 25th anniversary of Toru Takemitsu passing. 

Currently, he is the producer of the ‘Salon Concerts’ at the Watabun in Kyoto, and from November, the artistic supervisor of the musical project at Mii Temple, whit a history of over 1,300 years. 

DISCOGRAPHY

• Brahms: Clarinet Sonata (all songs), Schumann: Fantasia Collection 

Performers: Makoto Yoshida (clarinet), Yu Kosuge (piano)

Recorded by: Sony Music Labels Inc., 2020

• Clarithm
  Performers: Makoto Yoshida (clarinet), Takuya Uchikado (piano)

Recorded in April, 2014

CD REVIEWS

Yu Kosuge is a Berlin-based pianist who has released 15 albums in Sony Classical and SMJI, and continues to perform internationally. Makoto Yoshida is a multifaceted clarinetist who studied in Paris and Geneva. The two Toshihide, who have been co-starring from time to time for the past few years, have recorded "Clarinet Sonata", a masterpiece of Brahms's later years, and Schumann's heyday, "Fantastic Small Music Collection". DSD recording at Hakuju Hall, which has a good reputation for acoustics, was the best finish in terms of sound and music. The five Brahms songs (song parts played on the clarinet) included in the fill-up are said to have been performed at the unofficial premiere of Brahms' sonatas. This album is a content that conveys the atmosphere at the time of the premiere. The rustic tone of Yoshida's Segerke clarinet and Kosuge's free-spirited piano are both worth listening to.

The clarinet
https://www.alsoj.net/clarinet/magazine/view/1002/4451.html
TOWER RECORDS
https://tower.jp/article/feature_item/2020/10/07/1114
BRAVO
https://ebravo.jp/archives/69601
PIPERS
https://www.pipers.co.jp/cp-bin/eccube/html/products/detail.php?product_id=391

The CD can be purchased from the link below:

Sonymusic  /  Billboard Japan  /  TOWER RECORDS  /  Disk Union  /  Amazon

Makoto Yoshida, a clarinetist who trained in France, is a "classical" player no matter what anyone says, but he has a hidden charm that cannot be fully described within the so-called "classical" framework. He is a genius that makes you feel a little mismatched with his neat appearance. There is also a surprising device at the end of the album. A fun piece without complaint. (From CD Journal)

The CD can be purchased from the link below:
Amazon  /  HMV  /  TOWER RECORDS  /  TSUTAYA