Opera “Barefoot Gen”

– About the music

The “Barefoot Gen (Japanese: Hadashi no Gen)” is a series of Japanese graphic novels drawn by Keiji Nakazawa. The Nakazawa- family was in Hiroshima when the first atomic bomb was dropped on the Hiroshima-city, and Keiji lost his father, a sister and a brother due to the fire caused by the bomb. As a survivor of this catastrophic destruction, he decided to let people know what he saw in Hiroshima after the atomic bomb exploded. The Barefoot Gen was translated in more then ten countries.

On late 1970’s, Hiroshima-city commissioned an opera based on these graphic novels to Takanori Shimizu, a poet in Hiroshima, and a composer Hiroshi Hoshina. Hoshina was not in Hiroshima when he experienced the World War II, but still he sympathized with Shimizu’s texts because he recalled his memory when the Tokyo city was burned out by a series of firebomb air raids. On 1981, the opera was premiered by Yasuhiko Aguni (director), Kazukiyo Inoue (cond.), Kazuko Kamiya (Gen, soprano) and the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra.
The opera was revived on 1991 and 2012 (with a minimized orchestra with synthesizers).

– Commission

Commissioned by the Hiroshima International Art Culture Promotion Committee

– Premier

• Date : 1981.
• Place : Hiroshima Mielparque Hall
• Director :　Yasuhiko Aguni
• Cond. : Kazukiyo Inoue
• Orch. : Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra
• Cast : Kazuko Kamiya(Gen),

– Other performances

• Date : 1991.8.23 ~ 8.25
• Place : Hiroshima Mielparque Hall
• Director :　Keiji Nakazawa
• Cond. : Kazukiyo Inoue
• Orch. : Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra
• Cast : Kazuko Kamiya(Gen), Masae Hata, Hiroko Motomiya, Hiroko Yuyama, Seiichirou Sato,

• Date : 1991.9.4 ~ 9.6
• Place : Showa Woman’s University Hitomi Memorial Hall
• Director :　Keiji Nakazawa
• Cond. : Kazukiyo Inoue
• Orch. : Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra
• Cast : Kazuko Kamiya(Gen), Masae Hata, Hiroko Motomiya, Hiroko Yuyama, Seiichirou Sato,

• Date : 2012.3.24 ~ 3.25
• Place : Hiroshima Aster Plaza
• Director :　Kazuko Kamiya
• Art Director : Keiji Nakazawa
• Cond. : Ichiro Tsuchiya
• Orch. : Nobaraza Ensemble
• Cast : Kazuko Kamiya(Gen), Junichi Oguri(Daikichi), Mayumi Fujita(Kimie)

– Also available for

• Opera “Barefoot Gen” selection (for soprano, baritone and orchestra)
• Opera “Barefoot Gen” selection (for soprano, bariton and wind orchestra)

– Sheet Music

Full score and parts for orchestra are available from Hoshina Music Office as rental sheet music.

Piano vocal score is available as download PDF.
Please read how to buy sheet music at DLmarket before proceed to check out.
Click the following link to buy sheet music. Use a password 5555 to enter the shopping page.

• Opera “Barefoot Gen” Act.1 Scene 1 (piano vocal score)
• Opera “Barefoot Gen” Act.1 Scene 2 (piano vocal score)
• Opera “Barefoot Gen” Act.1 Scene 3 (piano vocal score)
• Opera “Barefoot Gen” Act.2 Scene 1 (piano vocal score)
• Opera “Barefoot Gen” Act.2 Scene 2 (piano vocal score)
• Opera “Barefoot Gen” Act.2 Scene 3 (piano vocal score)
• Opera “Barefoot Gen” the entire composition (piano vocal score)