Yaffle: Classical with Emotion

“Is there any other genre that depicts changing emotions with such precision? From among an endless choice of incredible music, I chose the pieces and performances that truly touched my heart,” says Yaffle of his specially curated playlist. Yaffle, also known as Youki Kojima, is an up-and-coming producer and composer who has garnered attention for producing tracks for pop artists such as Fujii Kaze, as well as for writing film music. Yaffle studied composition at the Kunitachi College of Music, and in 2023 released a solo album, After the chaos, on Deutsche Grammophon. His work has become hot property on the classical crossover scene. Yaffle recalls that, as a teenager, his impression of classical music was that it was “calming music that the elderly listen to”. His impression changed, however, when he listened to a MiniDisc lent to him by his best friend in high school. “The classical music on that disc helped me cope with the torrent of emotions I was experiencing at the time,” he says. “Sometimes the music offered gentle support, while other times it was a raging tempest.” Yaffle’s playlist opens with the second movement of Edward Elgar’s String Quartet. “The theme is very beautiful and lyrical but, above all, the emotional part of the re-enactment is powerful,” he says. The playlist also features the first movement of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, a work that was among the tracks on his friend’s MiniDisc. “I was overwhelmed by the heavy notes of the cello in the opening,” he explains. “I felt it had an amazing impact, as if it combined and refined all of the eccentricities found in human beings.” Yaffle has included the third movement of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No. 5 in his playlist. “When I first heard this piece, I was so overwhelmed by the beauty that I couldn’t move from my chair in front of my computer. The piece is so grand and profound that it resembles a prayer.” Yaffle’s playlist features additional emotional classics ranging from pieces by Johannes Brahms, Gabriel Fauré and Maurice Ravel to more recent works by Max Richter and Ryuichi Sakamoto.