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The Japanese lutenist, Yasunori Imamura, studied lute with Eugen Dombois and Hopkinson Smith at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, where he received his soloist’s diploma in 1981. Subsequently, he worked on interpretation and bass continuo with Ton Koopman and Johann Sonnleitner and composition with Wolfgang Neininger.
Today, Yasunori Imamura is recognised as one of the prominent figures of the lute, both as leading soloists and continuo-players on the lute. He has appeared at numerous international festivals in Europe and the Far East.
Besides his activities as a solist, Yasunori Imamura has collaborated as continuo player with various well-known artists including Cecilia Bartoli, Teresa Berganza, Gérard Lesne, Marc Minkowski, Ton Koopman, Jos van Immerseel, William Christie, Philippe Herreweghe, Michael Schneider, Martin Gester, Maurice Steger, Jean-Claude Malgoire, Masaaki Suzuki, Christophe Rousset, Paul Goodwin and Alan Curtis. He is a member of La Stagione, Frankfurt (director Michael Schneider), Les Musiciens du Louvre (director Marc Minkowski), Le Parlement de Musique (director Martin Gester), and Camerata Köln. In 1997 Yasunori Imamura founded the ensemble Fons Musicae, performing throughout Europe and the Far East.
Yasunori Imamura is professor for lute at the Conservatoire National de Région de Strasbourg as well as at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Frankfurt am Main. He also regularly gives a number of master-classes in Europe and the Far East.
Yasunori Imamura has recorded about 120 LP's and CD's for Deutsche Grammophon (Archiv-Production), Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Harmonia Mundi France, Erato, Philips, Decca, Virgin Classics, Capriccio, Etcetera, Claves, Accord, Adda, OPUS 111, Ades, CPO Osnabrück, Astrée, Denon, Fnac Music, Pan Classics, Zig-Zag Territoires, DRC and Symphonia. The following solo recordings have appeared so far: Simone Molinaro: Complete Fantasias (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi); J.S. Bach: Complete Works for Lute Vol. I &II (Etcetera); Robert de Visée: Pièces de théorbe, Suite in G-Major, A-Major, e-Minor, c-Minor, etc. (Capriccio); Silvius Leopold Weiss: Lute Sonatas, in C Major, A-Major etc. (Capriccio); S.L. Weiss: Lute Sonatas, in B-flat-Major, a-Minor etc. Vol. 1 (Claves). These recordings have also received excellent reviews in various audio magazines. Especially Lute Sonatas Vol. 1 by S.L. Weiss (Claves) was awarded the “Diapason d’Or” prize by French Diapason Magazine in July-August 2006. Yasunori Imamura and his his ensemble Fons Musicae have made five recordings (Michel Lambert, Giovanni Bononcini, Agostino Steffani, Antonio Caldara and Francesco Gasparini) that have earned various international awards such as the «CLASSICA» (Classica magazine) or the «Sterne des Monats» (Fono Forum Magazine). |
