Ikurō Fujiwara Explained

Ikurō Fujiwara
Background:	musician
Occupation:	pianist, keyboardist, composer, producer, conductor, orchestral arranger
Birth Date:	28 July 1958
Birth Place:	Yokohama, Japan
Website:	Official Website

Ikuro Fujiwara
Channel Url:	UCCdY-XhRirjjUDEInOYVyCw
Channel Display Name:	IKURO Fujiwara Official YouTube Channel
Years Active:	2020 -
Subscribers:	643
Views:	50,925 thousand times

is a Japanese pianist, composer, conductor and musical producer signed under Being Inc. He is Pops Executive Producer in the Pacific Philharmonia Tokyo orchestra.^[1]

Biography

Ikurō started learning piano and composing from an early age. He studied composition under Yoshio Hasegawa, Akira Kitamura, Hajime Kaburagi, Kiyohiko Kishima, and Tsuyoshi Yanagisawa; piano under Shihoko Uno, Kazuko Yasukawa, Michiko Jackson; conducting under Shigenobu Yamaoka and Konstantin D. Crimets.^[2] In 1976, Ikurō graduated from "Nihon University College of Art". In 1980s, his name appeared in the credit list of the various albums of the artist as arranger and keyboardist. At the beginning of 90's, he would focus his career more into composing and arranging music for the video gameseries Wizardry.^[3] In 1996, he was member of the Japanese band W's as keyboardist, composer and arranger.

From 1998, he has been active as an orchestral conductor and arranger for symphonic live series started firstly for Akina Nakamori, in the recent years by public well known for Mai Kuraki, Aska and Luna Sea. Since the 2000s, he started to release his original albums under subtitles "Densetsu" and "Eternal Animation Healing" music; composed soundtracks for number of domestic television series and theatrical movies in Shanghai, Singapore and Japan. His original works have been well received by critics.^[4]

In 2002, Ikuro's instrumental piece "Deep Sea" was used as background music for the South Korean television series Winter Sonata. He performed it 5 years later, in 2007 at Seoul Women's Plaza.^{[5] [6]}

The music in the 2008's movie Painted Skin has received 2 Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Original Film Score and Best Original Film Song (as for the first time in the history of Japanese music), and 1 nomination on Changchun Film Festival for the Best Music.^{[7] [8]}

In 2020, he launched one-day live show "KURO Fujiwara New Year's Piano Live 2020 “Yuki no Hana" held in Tokyo with the vocal guests Yumi Shizukusa from the same agency. Before Shizukusa's retirement, it was marked to be her final live performance to be seen.^[9] In 2021, Ikuro released his first vocal recording song under EP title "Yokohama Star Dust" in digital format.

Discography

As of 2023, he has released 17 studio albums, 3 digital albums, 4 compilation album and 1 DVD.^{[10] [11] [12]}

Studio albums

	Release date	Title	CD code
1st	2002	Mizu no Densetsu (水の伝説)	TECD-25473^[13]
2nd	2002	Kaze no Densetsu (風の伝説)	TECD-25474^[14]
3rd	2002	Hana no Densetsu (花の伝説)	TECD-25475^[15]
4th	2002	Tsuki no Densetsu (月の伝説)^[16]	TECD-25472
5th	2002	Ai no Densetsu (愛の伝説)	TECD-254746^[17]
6th	2002	Eternal Love Animation Healing Music	MJCG-80107^[18]
7th	2002	Eternal Impression Animation Healing Music	MJCG-80108^[19]
8th	2002	Eternal Courage Animation Healing Music	MJCG-80109^[20]
9th	2003	Kino (КИНО)	BNTM-3^[21]
10th	2004	Machi (町)	YRCN-11035^[22]
11th	2008	Collage	YRCN-11053^[23]
12th	2009	Sutekina Kyuujitsu (素敵な休日)	TFC1991~1993
13th	2013	Quatre saisons series Scénario de la saison: Automne	JBCZ-9001^[24]
14th	2014	Quatre saisons series Scénario de la saison: Hiver	JBCZ-9002^[25]
15th	2014	Quatre saisons series Scénario de la saison: Printemps	JBCZ-9009^[26]
16th	2014	Quatre saisons series Scénario de la saison: Été	JBCZ-9010^[27]
17th	2014	Symphonic Luna Sea: Reboot	JBCZ-9029

Compilation albums

	Release date	Title	Code
1st	2005	10nin Pianist (１０人のピアニスト)	OWCP-2001
2nd	2005	Tenderness～best works～	YRCN-11048^[28]
3rd	2005	10nin Pianist Ivory (１０人のピアニスト)	B000BR2NNY
4th	2005	Feel piano	B000ACZX6O
5th	2005	Yorokobi no uta: Toubeidon to noumin-tachi (よろこびのうた～藤兵衛ドンと農民たち)	B000ACZX6O

Digital EP

	Release date	Title
1st	2021	IKURO Fujiwara SELECTION: Mon Cheri
2nd	2021	Yokohama Star Dust
3rd	2023	Happy Birthday: Taisetsuna Kimi he

Movie soundtracks compositions

• Dear Friends (2007)
• Painted Skin (2008)
• Yatterman (2009)
• Nisesatsu (2009)
• Omuraisu (2012)
• Legend of the Naga Pearls (2017)
• Mural(2022)

Television series compositions

• 69 sixty nine (2004)
• Curtain Call (2004)
• Itoshii Kimi he (愛し君へ) (2004)
• Onaji Tsuki wo Miteiru (同じ月を見ている) (2005)
• Cao Cao (2011-2012)
• Noble Aspirations (2016)

Game soundtracks composition

• Wizardry: The First Episode - Suffering of the Queen (Game Boy,1991)
• Wizardry: The Second Episode - Curse of the Ancient Emperor (Game Boy,1992)
• Wizardry: The Third Episode - Scripture of the Dark (Game Boy,1993)
• Tenchi Muyo!: Toko Muyo (Sega Saturn,1997)
• Wizardry Dimguil Original Sound Track (1998)
• Dog of Bay (Playstation2,2000)

DVD

• Fujisan Shinshō VOL. 1: Fujiwara Ikurō healing version (富士山心象 VOL.1 藤原いくろう ヒーリング・バージョン) (2002)
• Yoshiki Symphonic Concert 2002with Tokyo City Phillharmonic Orchestra (2002)
• Mai Kuraki Symphonic Live -Opus 1- (2013)
• Mai Kuraki Symphonic Live -Opus 2- (2014)
• Mai Kuraki Symphonic Live -Opus 3- (2015)
• Ai to Yuuki no 25 Shuunen Linen Fire Emblem San (愛と勇気の25周年記念 ファイアーエムブレム祭) (2016)
• Piano Anthology: Melody of Luna Sea (2016)
• Live Movie from Billboard Classics 20th Anniversary Mai Kuraki Premium Symphonic Concert 2019 (2021) - released as part of the album Unconditional Love as Limited B version with DVD disc.
• Mai Kuraki Premium Symphonic Concert 2022 (2023)

Note: Aside of Fujisan Shinshō, Ikuro is filmed and credited in the footages as a conductor and orchestral arranger.

List of contribution to artist

• Akina Nakamori
• Yoshie Kashiwabara
• Shonentai
• Kaori Kozai
• Marcia Kazue Otsuru
• Mai Kuraki
• Mariko Tone
• Hiroko Moriguchi
• Harumi Inoue
• Hiroko Kasahara
• Hiroko Kurumizawa
• Masatoshi Ono

List of produced artist

Listed for symphonic concerts

• Akina Nakamori (1998)
• Asato Shizuki (2001)
• Mayo Okamoto (2001)
• Yoshiki (2002^[29])
• Miki Imai (2004^[30])
• Aska (2005, 2008,^[31] 2018,^[32] 2022)
• Kirito (2006)
• Shinichi Mori (2006)
• Ayaka Hirahara (2007)
• Ichirou Mizuki (2009)
• Garnet Crow (2010^[33])
• Mai Kuraki (2012,^[34] 2014,^[35] 2015,^[36] 2022,^[37] 2023^[38])
• Luna Sea (2015^[39])
• Koda Kumi (2022^[40])
• Tetsuya Komuro (2022^[41])
• Beyooooonds (2023^[42])
• Hitomi Yaida (2023^[43])

External links

• Official website
• Official Blog site (webarchived)
• Official Youtube Channel
• Official Weibo account
• IMDB profile

Notes and References

1. Web site: Profile Ikuro Fujiwara (藤原いくろう). Official Page of Pacific Philharmonia Tokyo.
2. Web site: 藤原いくろう biography. japanese. yoshimoto-me.co.jp.
3. Web site: Profile Ikuro Fujiwara . VGMDB.
4. Web site: 藤原いくろう cdjournal Review-All Works. japanese. Official Website KBS.
5. Web site: 『冬のソナタ』の『deep sea』の演奏者、藤原いくろう…韓国初公演. japanese. oricon.jp.
6. Web site: Pianist Ikuro Fujiwara to Perform in Korea. Official Website KBS.
7. Web site: 作曲家・藤原いくろうの曲が米アカデミー賞・香港代表に. japanese. oricon.jp. 28 October 2008 .
8. Web site: 香港映画100年の歴史で日本人初! 作曲家・藤原いくろうが「最優秀主題歌賞」受賞. japanese. oricon.jp. 21 April 2009 .
9. Web site: 数多の音楽家に愛される作編曲家＆ピアニスト、藤原いくろうの公演がビルボードカフェ＆ダイニングで明日開催. japanese. Billboard Japan.
10. Web site: 望月衛介の作品. japanese. oricon.jp.
11. Web site: Ikuro Fujiwara Discography-BZONE. japanese. Ikuro Fujiwara Official website.
12. Web site: Ikuro Fujiwara Discography-Teichiku. japanese. teichiku-shop.com.
13. Web site: 水の伝説. Oricon News.
14. Web site: 風の伝説に. Oricon News.
15. Web site: 花の伝説. Oricon News.
16. Web site: 月の伝説. Oricon News.
17. Web site: 愛の伝説. Oricon News.
18. Web site: Eternal Love Animation Healing Music. Oricon News.
19. Web site: Eternal Impression Animation Healing Music. Oricon News.
20. Web site: REternal Courage Animation Healing Music. Oricon News.
21. Web site: キノー～銀幕のピアノ～. Oricon News.
22. Web site: Machi/町. Oricon News.
23. Web site: Collage. Oricon News.
24. Web site: quatre saisons series『Scenario de la saison -automne-』. Oricon News.
25. Web site: quatre saisons series『Scenario de la saison -hiver-』. Oricon News.
26. Web site: quatre saisons series『Scenario de la saison -printemps-』. Oricon News.
27. Web site: quatre saisons series『Scenario de la saison -été-』. Oricon News.
28. Web site: PIANO ROMANCE. Oricon News.
29. Web site: X Japan解散から6年間の沈黙を破り、Yoshiki始動！. japanese. hmv.co.jp.
30. Web site: シンフォニックコンサート2004 with 東京シティ・フィルハーモニック管弦楽団 〜 My Sound Tracks 〜. japanese. Miki Imai Official Website.
31. Web site: ASKA、アジアツアーの最終上海公演の詳細を発表. japanese. oricon.jp. 4 March 2015 .
32. Web site: ASKAが語る、華麗なオーケストラと待ち焦がれたファンの歓声が新しいスタートに華を添える〈THE PRIDE〉ツアー. japanese. Billboard Japan.
33. Garnet Crow (2010). Paralel Universe (CD-DVD Album; Footage Credit). Garnet Crow. Japan: Giza Studio. GZCA-5230.
34. Web site: 倉木麻衣シングル＆DVD同時発売、オーケストラライブも. japanese. natalie music.jp.
35. Web site: 武道館で36曲熱唱！倉木麻衣、感謝しきりの300回単独記念ライブ. japanese. natalie music.jp.
36. Web site: 倉木麻衣、指揮者に藤原いくろう迎えシンフォニックライブ. japanese. natalie music.jp.
37. Web site: 倉木麻衣が国際女性デー表彰式で受賞、3年ぶりシンフォニックコンサートを東名阪で開催. japanese. natalie music.jp.
38. Web site: 倉木麻衣シンフォニック・コンサート デビュー25周年の幕開けとなる今冬に開催が決定. japanese. prtimes.jp. 30 June 2023 .
39. Web site: RYUICHI＆SUGIZOも登場するスペシャルコンサートのセットリスト事前発表で、「MARIA」や「THE ONE」。. japanese. barks.jp. 28 April 2015 .
40. Web site: 倖田來未初のシンフォニックコンサート 演奏曲の一部を公開 指揮・オーケストラ編曲の藤原いくろうが意気込みを語る。. japanese. prtimes.jp. 6 May 2022 .
41. Web site: 小室哲哉の歴史を紐解くオーケストラ公演開催. japanese. natalie music.jp.
42. Web site: BEYOOOOONDSのポップスがオーケストラと融合「BEYOOOOOPHONIC」大成功. japanese. natalie music.jp.
43. Web site: 矢井田瞳with日本センチュリー交響楽団 プレミアムコンサート. japanese. musicguide.jp. 2 January 2023 .