Concert Report: Spring Kammerraku

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the two lovers. By the end of the dance and the beginning of the 5th section, “Awake and Alone”, a dissonant tone came upon. This was when one of the lovers had awoken from the dream and found him[her]self to be alone. To me, the sadness from this moment was felt deeply through the sound of the Shakuhachi; it felt almost as a lonely cry for the lost lover. The strings joined in as the Shakuhachi faded out and the cello introduced the 6th section, “Down and Dirty”. In this section, the lovers are together in an intense moment of love. In one part of this section the strings vigorously plucked against each other as the Shakuhachi followed played which led for a buildup and eventual release in the end. “Reflection on Love”, is the 7th section in this performance which is opened by the shamisen and violin then followed by the Koto. In this piece the lovers realize they can only be together in slumber and while short it follows into the last song in section 8 in which the lover states his[her] realization. In a beautiful but sad poem they say:

Since encountering

My beloved as I dozed,

I have come to know;

Only in the Dream Corner can we be together.

Section 9, “Slow”, sets a slower pace for the performance as it leads to section 10, “Dawn Hunter”. This pace is in allegro, very tense and almost action packed in the way each instrument plays along one another it often seems dissonant but in the end it resolves and section 11, “The Dream Corner”, begins. This final section opens with the cello and Koto and progresses with everyone playing together. We’re back in the Dream Corner where anything is possible for the couple. It was played at a moderate speed alternating tempos. The strings almost lifted you up during their part and it was beautifully followed along with the Shakuhachi. It closed with Koto and the performance came to an end.

The Tenri Cultural Institute was a lovely venue with wonderful acoustics and even art to appreciate, as we watched these talented artists perform. There weren’t any seats left vacant as many people made their way to watch this unique hybrid of musical styles and young talent. The lighting set the stage perfectly and highlighted the artists as they performed. This was the first time I attended a chamber music concert and in all honestly, I actually enjoyed listening to something outside my realm of music. Modern music often makes us forget how lovely it is to actually sit and engage in music alone telling us a story with little to no spoken words. The fact that young adolescents were able to compose these kind of musical pieces was astounding and the blend of European and Japanese music was unique in its own right. I came to this concert series with an open mind and found myself actually wanting more music and wondering what was next with each section. The great chemistry between The Arianna String Quartet and Japanese Sankyoku helped bring this blend together seamlessly. I quite look forward to being able to experience this again

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