Masao Ohki’s Symphony No. 5, introduced to world-wide audiences by Arvid Jansons and Leopold Stokowski, was one of the first of many Japanese works to be dedicated to the tragedy of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in August 1945. Based on six paintings by Iri and Toshi Maruki, The Hiroshima Panels (tracks 3 to 8), to which Ohki added a Prelude and a final Elegy, Hiroshima Symphony is a graphic and moving depiction of the devastation of the atomic bomb and of the terrible suffering of the inhabitants of Hiroshima. The Symphony is written in an expressionistic style which makes frequent use of bold, dissonant harmonies, alternating with the tranquil and solemn music of No, a Japanese traditional ceremonial play related to the pacification of spirits.