01. 大島桜 – C.speciosa
02. 寒緋桜 – C.campanulata
03. 松月 – Superba
04. 鬱金 – Ukon
05. 一葉 – Ichiyo
06. 冬桜 – Fuyu-zakura
07. 関山 – Sekiyama
08. 白雪 – Shirayuki
09. 枝垂桜 – Itosakura
10. 白妙 – Shirotae
11. 豆桜 – C.incisa
12. 陽光 – Yoko
13. 手弱女 – Taoyame
14. 江戸彼岸 – C.itosakura f.ascendens
15. 染井吉野 – Somei-yoshino
16. 普賢象 – Albo-rosea

The duo ‘synfilums’ by Shin Kikuchi and Itoko Toma has completed their fourth album ‘synonym’.

Kikuchi finds a row of cherry blossom trees near his studio, and it is planted with various types of cherry blossom. After he sees the name plates attached to every tree and become curious to research the origins of the various types and cultivars of cherry blossom, and his studies motivated him to produce the album.

There are many different types of “Sakura (cherry blossom)” in Japan, some trees are originally native to Japan, and some trees are brought from overseas, and some trees are cultivated which people have blended for ornamental process.

From the research about cultivars, Kikuchi sees the “Sakura (Cherry blossom)” as an artwork created by people (with hope and wishes), and he used the sound to express and create his own row of cherry blossom trees. For example, “Somei-yoshino”, an iconic native cherry tree in Japan, is a mixed cultivar of Oshima cherry (C.speciosa) and Edo Higan (C.itosakura f.ascendens), and this trial and error process of cultivation is also put into the concept of music.

This album was started with a demo by Kikuchi’s image of a dreamy row of beautiful but ephemeral cherry blossom trees growing along the mountain path leading through the village, and a pianist Toma worked faithfully expressed, arranged, and performed this worldview.

菊地慎と当真伊都子のデュオプロジェクト「synfilums」の４作品目「synonym」が完成しました。
菊地が作業しているアトリエの周りには様々な種類の桜が植えられた桜並木があり、１つ１つ木に付けられた名札が気になり桜の種類や栽培品種の成り立ちを調べたことがきっかけで制作された作品です。
「桜」と一括りにしても様々な種類があり、元々日本に自生していた桜、外国からやってきた桜、人々が鑑賞用に配合して生まれた栽培品種などがあります。
栽培品種に限った話をするならば「桜」は人によって作られた作品（＝願い・希望）と捉えられるのではないかと考えた菊地は、自分なりの桜並木を音楽で表現することに挑戦しました。例えば日本では桜として代表的な染井吉野（Someiyoshino）は、大島桜（C.speciosa）と江戸彼岸（C.itosakura f.ascendens）が合わさった栽培品種ですが、その様な成り立ちも音楽に落とし込めないかと試行錯誤した作品になっています。
里と山をつなぐ美しくも儚さが漂う幻想的な桜並木をイメージして菊地が制作したモチーフを、ピアニストの当真が世界観を忠実に表現・アレンジ・演奏した作品です。

All Music by synfilums
Produced by Shin Kikuchi
Arranged by Itoko Toma

Piano: Itoko Toma
Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Hiroshi Iguchi （SALO | ROLLERS Inc.） Piano Engineer: Makoto Kano
ALT.NEU.Artistservice Co.,Ltd

Photos, Artwork & Design: Shin Kikuchi

Production Management: 88 landscapes & SCHOLE INC.